A New York Times article details the surprisingly difficult to catalogue history of New York's greenery.
Andy Newman writes about the "leafing of New York." A side-by-side comparison of historic photographs of streets with their current conditions is all it takes to reveal: "the blankness filled in and softened by soaring pin oaks, the camouflage-pattern trunk of a London plane, or a line of leggy young pears or maples."
Yet, writes, Newman, "[there] is no way to prove this assertion. Street-tree censuses were not reliable until the 1990s. The tree population fluctuates — waves of disease and storm and municipal fiscal spasm periodically thin the urban forest and undo the city’s tree-planting efforts."
The article goes on to explain more of the disconnects in the history of New York's urban forest, as well as links to two of the photography projects that help document the city's natural changes.
FULL STORY: In Leafy Profusion, Trees Spring Up in a Changing New York

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

Paris Voters Approve More Car-Free Streets
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says the city will develop a plan to close 500 streets to car traffic and add new bike and pedestrian infrastructure after a referendum on the proposal passed with 66 percent of the vote.

Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.

Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness
A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.
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