New Orleans
New Orleans built its shade infrastructure into the architecture two centuries ago. The French Quarter’s cast-iron galleries are not decoration — they are a continuous second roof over the sidewalk, paid for by the buildings underneath. Outside the Quarter the live oaks of the Garden District take over. The model reads the galleries as building mass; the oaks it under-credits, on purpose.
Stay Cool routes around shade in New Orleans, LA. The app picks the cooler side of every street using real building heights and live sun position — peak summer UV here is 11, average July high is 91°F, and tree canopy covers 31% of the city. Below: the most reliably-shaded walking routes we've found, plus deeper neighborhood field notes when available.
Highlights · 3
- 01Jackson Square to the French Market
Decatur’s gallery line runs unbroken for six blocks — the cast iron does the work the sun would otherwise do on you.
Shade86%Walk8 minBest at1 pm - 02Lafayette Cemetery to Magazine Street
Live oaks and Spanish moss carry you the first three blocks; we hand off to Magazine’s pre-war commercial awnings before the canopy thins.
Shade74%Walk9 minBest at2 pm - 03Woldenberg Park to Crescent Park
The riverfront is honest about its sun — almost none. We route a block inland along Decatur and Chartres, then bridge over to Crescent at the last possible moment.
Shade52%Walk18 minBest at10:30 am