Streets need trees

摘要

Abundant street trees are vital for the quality of life in urban neighbourhoods - cleaning pollutants, supporting biodiversity and, as objects of beauty, immeasurably enhancing places and lives. Hence the battle to save Sheffield's urban forest, which I have supported. Beauty in the built environment is a preoccupation of the government, which thinks that if new developments could be just that bit more attractive, objectors may be less vociferous - Nimbys would convert to Yimbys. While we have argued elsewhere (Ten Characteristics of Places Where People Want to Live) that it is overly simplistic to imagine objections would evaporate if only new homes were in a given style, one aspect of successful placemaking is undoubtedly the importance of creating a verdant setting.