An Evening with Sam Bloch

Urban design, history and climate resilience intersect in journalist Sam Bloch’s exploration of shade as an essential yet often overlooked public resource. The An Evening with Sam Bloch event on Sunday, September 14 at Books & Books in Coral Gables features a discussion of his new book, Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource (Random House, $32). Drawing on examples from Mesopotamian cities to modern Los Angeles bus stops, Bloch examines how access to shade affects public health, safety and quality of life—and why its absence disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities.

A former staff writer at The Counter and an environmental journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Slate and CityLab, Bloch brings research, reporting and historical context to a subject with growing urgency in an era of extreme heat. Tickets are free, and copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.