Adapting to the High Summer Heat in Palm Springs

How do people spend their day when it is 110F outside?

The Los Angeles Times has written a great tourism piece. While the author engages in a bit of Palm Springs boosterism, she makes some important points as she gives a “shout out” to many local businesses.

Quote #1

For some, the idea of spending any time in a place where the thermometer reading might soar past 110 is simply a nonstarter. Fair enough. Even Palm Springs’ ubiquitous swimming pools and patio misters have their limits. But if you’re willing to brave a blast of extreme heat during the short walk from your car to one of the desert haven’s cooler experiences — a dark movie theater showing cult classic films or the hidden door to a well-air conditioned speakeasy, for instance — then a summer getaway in Palm Springs might be worth pursuing.

Quote #2

“Yes, it’s hot sometimes, but you just have to have the sense not to be out in it,” said Matthew Reader, a local real estate agent and longtime Palm Springs resident. “And there are good things about the summer too. It’s quiet. You don’t have to wait as long at restaurants. That’s when all our families come and visit us.”

Both quotes convey how non-poor people can have a great day in the high heat in this city that is far East of Los Angeles. Advocates for the poor will ask, how can the Palm Springs poor have a great day in such high heat?

The City has opened Cooling Centers. You can read about them here. Given that most poor people do not own cars, a policy question arises concerning how poor people can be transported to cooling centers. On hot days, Uber and Lyft could be paid to operate pool rides to transport such individuals to the Cooling Centers at a discounted $ fare.

The City could use this opportunity to open a medical clinic at the Cooling Centers to provide basic checkups for the vulnerable. In this sense, a silver lining of the “heat wave” could be to encourage more disadvantaged people to engage with the medical system.

This example from Palm Springs shows how economic growth and prosperity helps us to adapt to the high heat. Yes, outdoor workers face greater challenges on those days but their employers have an incentive to schedule their work to reduce their exposure to direct heat. Have you read our 2025 paper on this topic?

Given that it is often very hot in Palm Springs, are home prices low there? Google says that the median price of housing there is $382 per square foot. Buyers are making a bet that this place’s fundamentals will continue to be strong over the next 25 years. Are they wrong? Those who are buying real estate in Palm Springs are making a bet that the housing stock and the community will remain resilient and quality of life will continue to be strong even if the high heat gets even hotter. Are they wrong?