Canopies and communities: Solutions to combat urban heat island effects

February 26, 2026, Planet Forward

Richmond, Virginia, is home to the Hickory Hill Community Center. This center served as the only African American school during segregation and has been repurposed as a community center. Hickory Hill was pivotal in advancing racial justice in Richmond. To honor the center’s legacy of promoting equity and opportunity, Southside ReLeaf decided to launch a community climate justice initiative at the site.

Southside ReLeaf is a Richmond-based organization that fights for health, justice, and equity in Richmond’s Southside region through creating green spaces. The Southside is a historically redlined neighborhood and a present day urban heat island. By creating green spaces in the Southside, residents have access to shade and cooling air to combat urban heat island effects. 

Southside ReLeaf engaged community members to plant 100 trees and create tree canopy at the Hickory Hill Community Center. While creating tree canopy helped to reduce extreme heat in the area, the project was successful for an additional reason: its focus on community-engagement. Planetary solutions thrive when community members are part of the decision-making processes that affect them and that they are expected to maintain and uphold.