Why Trees Matter on Our Streets

There are a lot of things we can do to make our streets more enjoyable for all people (regardless of the mode of transportation they are using). And my favorites are the ideas that don’t cost much money, but leave an impact.

When Victor Dover was in Rochester as part of the Community Design Center’s Reshaping Rochester series, he was interviewed on WXXI. He said the two biggest things cities and towns can do that will have an immediate impact on the quality of life for residents don’t cost much: Plant trees and create bike lanes.

During his lecture at Gleason Works, Dover also talked about joy being an overlooked but important ROI of good street design. And I super liked that. Why do I like walking to work in my neighborhood? Because of what I get to see while I’m walking — beautiful architecture, gardens, trees, other people, seasons…

Community Builders featured pictures of streets across the country with and without trees and it was amazing how simply taking trees out of the picture changed the whole scene.

We all know what trees bring to the cycle of life, so I won’t go all The Giving Tree on you and make you cry. And they, of course, make our air cleaner so we can all breathe a little better. But trees impact how we live and move on our streets too.

Trees provide protection for those on the street. They offer shade for pedestrians, cyclists and parked cars. They provide an enclosure and cushion between the cars and sidewalks. People tend to walk and bike more when there are trees. When there are trees outside of businesses, people hang out more. Trees are a buffer and provide a canopy for being social.

Now let’s talk about safety.

Streets with trees make people drive at slower speeds. That’s right. Without changing speed limits, trees along streets reduce the “optical width” of a driver’s view, so serve as a psychological cue to drive more cautiously. A study in Texas indicated a 46% decrease in crash rates after landscaping was added along urban arterials and highways. Slow speeds mean all people are on safer streets — whether you are in a car or not.

Another added safety bonus: the presence of trees and greenery reduces the number of aggressive acts, littering, vandalism and crime.

And let’s not forget that thing about joy being a return on investment of good street design.

Think about how you feel when you drive along a tree-lined street. Drivers that get to see natural things while driving report lower levels of stress and frustration. The presence of trees and landscaping reduces blood pressure and stress, and improves emotional and psychological well-being. And they sure are a pretty design element, as they mix with street lights and the other many things that make our favorite walkable communities vibrant.

One of my favorite things to rant incessantly about (other than new housing developments that don’t put sidewalks in) is new development that just plows over all existing trees as if it’s an easy quick thing to grow a tree.

We are lucky in Rochester to have lots of gorgeous tree-lined streets, so it is easy to take them for granted. One trip to Henrietta Townline Road should remind you what a difference street trees can make.