Trees

Friday Funny: The Onion Discovers New Gentrification Indicators
The satirical site The Onion has been consistently roasting the contemporary conversation about urban living.
On the 'Tree Wealth' of the World's Countries
A closer look at the data of a study revealing the number of trees on the planet shows several ways to compare and contrast the relative resources, in the form of trees, of countries around the world.
Technology Enables a New Understanding of the World's 3.04 Trillion Trees
A news study, combining satellite imagery and field study, dramatically increases the estimated trees in the world. What has not changed: how quickly humans are killing those trees off.
Trees Dying by the Millions During California's Drought
A U.S. Forest Service survey has revealed the high costs of the California drought to one of the state's most treasured features: its sprawling forests.

How Urban Ugliness Increases Stress
The definition of blight may be in the eye of the beholder, but it may also be subconscious. Broken windows, abandoned buildings, and weed-filled yards may actually create stress and degrade health, according to a small study out of Philadelphia.
The Red Cedar: a Resilient and Adaptive Urban Pioneer
Dave Taft pens an ode to the merits of the red cedar—a common tree in New York City and dry, empty lots all over the East.

Trees are Good for People—and Vice Versa
Sarah Laskow reports on recent research on the surprisingly two-way connection between the happiness of urban trees and the happiness of urban humans.
When Will Dallas Update its Tree Ordinance?
A guest column in the Dallas Morning News takes the Dallas political machine to task for delaying a new tree ordinance.
Gov-Elect Abbott Says Local Regulations 'California-ize' Texas
Texas Gov.-elect Greg Abbott takes aim at local regulations, exemplified by tree-cutting bans in cities like Houston and San Antonio.

Trees In Urban Design: Are You Planting a Liability or Growing an Asset?
Trees are a vital element of urban design, one that must considered at every stage of planning, design and development.
How Los Angeles' Urban Parks Battle Climate Change
An overview of how Los Angeles County’s Department of Parks and Recreation is creating projects that tackle the effects of climate change, by planner Clement Lau.
The Cambridge Tree Map Provides Data on Blossoms and Pollen
"What does a city look like drawn in trees?" Cambridge, Massachusetts recently released an exhaustive database of all the trees on public property around the city.
Cities Map—and Track Benefits—of Urban Forest
OpenTreeMap allows cities to inventory trees and see the environmental and economic benefits.
Exposing the Fallacy of Sky Forests
Have you noticed the architectural trend in spicing up bland glass skyscrapers with forests of foliage? Tim de Chant strips away this veneer of extreme greenwashing by explaining why trees won't grow on a ledge 500 feet high.
A Tree Grows in Pigeon Town
I don’t know what it is about New Orleans that makes me wax rhapsodic. But something about the city makes everyday life look poetic. I returned to the Crescent City last week after having last visited just seven months ago, when a tree planting
As New York Plants One Million Trees, Benefits—and Some Burdens—Grow
The city’s MillionTrees program fights asthma and global warming. But tightening maintenance budgets, increasingly severe weather and decades-old planting decisions complicate trees’ contribution.
Why Your City's Urban Canopy May Be Failing
Trees are an increasingly important part of the urban infrastructure. However, a lack a awareness about how to plant and nurture large trees in urban environments dooms many trees to lackluster performance and a short life.
The Benefits of Urban Forests
Poor air quality has led to an explosion of a health problems among vulnerable populations, claims the American Society of Landscape Architects. This video explains how urban forests provide environmental benefits to densely populated cities.
Santa Monica OKs Urban Forest Master Plan
The plan is believed to set a precedent for urban forestry management. It includes a Street Tree Designations component, created in response to one failed attempt to replace non-native palms with other types of trees.
Tree Counting Goes Online, Interactive
PhillyTreeMap makes counting trees interactive with it’s users being able to add trees to its web-based digital map of Philadelphia, reports Gregory Thomas for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Pagination
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)