In a hot summer climate, shade is an important part of making people comfortable outside.
When famed photographer Dorothea Lange visited Sallisaw, Oklahoma in August of 1936, she noticed farmers were gathered on the shady side of the street to sit or stand in groups and talk about the weather.
Compare the images to a scene captured by Shane Brown this year at Guthrie Green in Tulsa, where everyone gathered to eat lunch in the square of shade provided by the pavilion. A balance of sunny and shaded spaces make a public space comfortable year round- even in a climate with hot and cold extremes like Oklahoma.
(Dorothea Lange Photo Source: Library of Congress)
(Guthrie Green Photo Source: Shane Brown via Guthrie Green)