Last November, voters in Scottsdale updated the city's general plan. The plan will serve as a roadmap for future development. One key element in the plan focuses on sustainability.

Scottsdale City Councilwoman Solange Whitehead was behind the push for a sustainability plan. She says it’s critical when it comes to how triple-digit temperatures affect the community.

“One of my initiatives was to have a tree canopy plan because trees, not only do they provide shade, but they're a very economical way," Whitehead said. "They create coolness.”

Whitehead also says Scottsdale’s heavy tourism industry requires creating shade and protection from those high temperatures to sustain the city’s economic future.