Made in the Shade: A Practical Planning Guide for Providing Shade in Public Spaces

Made in the Shade CORE Guidebook Cover-Web

The Complete Guide to Planning Shade for Parks, Schools, and Public Spaces

If you’re responsible for designing, funding, or managing outdoor spaces, shade is no longer optional. It’s essential.

Made in the Shade: A Practical Planning Guide for Providing Shade in Public Spaces is a comprehensive, step-by-step resource created for park directors, school administrators, landscape architects, municipalities, churches, and community planners who want to add effective, long-lasting shade solutions.

This free guidebook, created by CORE, walks you through everything you need to know, from why shade matters to how to fund your project.

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What's InsideWhat You'll Learn Inside the Guidebook

Planning shade for parks, schools, and public spaces requires more than choosing a structure. It demands strategic thinking, long-term budgeting, thoughtful design, and a clear understanding of how shade impacts public health and community engagement. 

This guide was created to answer the most common questions we hear from park directors, school districts, municipalities, and landscape architects:

  • How much shade coverage do we actually need?
  • What type of shade structure works best for our site?
  • How do we plan for wind loads and local code requirements?
  • Where can we find funding?
  • Is shade really worth the investment?
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Why Shade Is Essential in Public Spaces 

If you're searching for why shade is important for playgrounds or benefits of shade structures in parks, this chapter provides research-backed answers. 

Types & Applications of Shade Structures 

If you’re comparing commercial shade structure types, this section simplifies the decision-making process. 

Design Considerations

This section is especially valuable for landscape architects and municipal planners searching for shade structure design guidelines or engineering requirements for public shade systems. 

And More!

Don't miss out on funding, return on investment, and real-world case studies.

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