Trying to stay cool
Last summer, I spent a day in Kaunas, Lithuania, with my older son. Kaunas is a city full of charm—Lithuania’s former capital, known for its striking interwar modernist architecture, lively pedestrian boulevards, and a creative spirit that earned it the title of European Capital of Culture in 2022.
Walking around, we discovered something simple and brilliant: a misting arch set up right in the middle of a pedestrian plaza. It wasn't flashy—just a curved frame with a few nozzles gently spraying water. They were all over the city, and my son took every opportunity to use them to cool down.
This reminded me of New York's time-honored tradition for cooling down in the summer: Cracking open a fire hydrant, something we've been doing for at least a century.
Our fire hydrants can discharge up to 60,000 gallons per hour, so cracking them open is frowned upon. However, FDNY will open a fire hydrant for you with a special sprinkler cap—all you have to do is stop by your local firehouse, show ID, and fill out a form. Bureaucracy for every season.
But what if we took a page from the Kaunas book and set up misting arches around the city? Our summers are only getting hotter.
Many New Yorkers pride themselves on being hard and gritty. Something as lovely and joyful as summer misting stations might seem out of place in New York—something more appropriate for Europeans, or at least Californians. But ask any ER doctor here in the city and they'll confirm that the hotter it gets, the more injuries and violence they see. It goes without saying that heat exhaustion and heat stroke occur mainly when it's hot.
So, misting stations don't just improve livability. They improve public health, too.
New York City has installed hundreds of water features in its playgrounds—which is a great start. They're activated on days where the temperature reaches at least 80 degrees. But playgrounds are tucked away from the street grid, and mostly limited to kids and their parents.
Why not try misting arches in our plazas and pedestrian streets? They’re cheap, easy to install, and sip water compared to a hydrant. Best of all, they make a hot city feel a little more human.
