The fight against the effects of the burning sun has always fallen on the shoulders of individuals.

But a group in Saskatoon is taking to the time to study outdoor hot spots in the summer, to see how cities can help people find refuge from the dangers of UV radiation.

Michael Schwandt is a deputy medical health officer with the Saskatoon Health Region, and chair of Sun Smart Saskatchewan. He's working with a group of landscape architects to take a closer look busy parks in the Bridge City, to see if they offer enough shade.

Michael Schwandt (CBC) "What we're doing is looking for the presence and absence of features in public spaces that allow people to protect themselves from UV radiation," Schwandt told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

Although we often talk about using sunscreen to prevent UV radiation, it's important to look at how our environments are engineered. - Michael Schwandt, Saskatoon Health Region officer

Over the course of a week, Schwandt and his team plan to quietly conduct a shade audit, observing how people enjoy the outdoors in spaces like River Landing in Saskatoon.

They'll be observing throughout different parts of the day, looking at where people hang out and measuring the availability of shade.

"Although we often talk about using sunscreen to prevent UV radiation, it's important to look at how our environments are engineered, and the presence of shade," he said. "It's one of the ways we can build that sun protection right into our surrounding spaces."

Schwandt said data collected from the shade audit will help his team make recommendations to urban designers, giving them feedback on areas where the shade is adequate, and identifying potential opportunities to increase the amount of shade.

"Some of the ways to increase shade spaces can be expensive and take a lot of time, like planting trees. [But] some others can be relatively quick and inexpensive."