Pittsburgh announces investment in equitable street tree strategy

Source: Smart Cities World Published: March 3rd, 2021

The mayor of Pittsburgh, William Peduto, and the City of Pittsburgh Shade Tree Commission, have announced an Equitable Street Tree Investment Strategy to promote maintenance in low-income neighbourhoods with low tree canopy cover as part of the mayor’s vision to plant 100,000 trees over the next decade.

The City currently uses data to inform focused street tree investment but is seeking to improve this process by adding an equity lens. Benefits of trees include improved air quality, reduced stormwater run-off, reduced heat island effect, energy savings, increased sense of community, and biodiversity.

Benefit equity

According to census records and street tree inventory data funded by the Shade Tree Commission, visualisations by the Create Lab at Carnegie Mellon University show low-income and Black communities disproportionately have fewer city street trees and so see less of the benefits of trees. The Equitable Street Tree Investment Strategy will help to ensure the benefits of street trees are distributed equitably.

The strategy seeks to identify 10 low-income and low-canopy neighbourhoods annually for “focused, proactive, and cyclical” tree maintenance schedules, tree plantings, and urban forest education in those neighbourhoods to improve the quality of life for current and future residents. Improved maintenance will include pruning, sidewalk repair, and stump removal and will be complemented by communication plans customised for each neighbourhood.

“The members of the Shade Tree Commission are pleased to be able to help find more dollars to build on the maintenance work our Department of Public Works Forestry Division does every day. Growing this capacity will allow for the benefits of trees, including improving air quality, to equitably reach more Pittsburgh neighbours,” said Kristen Spirl, Shade Tree Commission chair and Chatham University Arboretum ground manager.

The strategy outlines four phases to identify and address areas of need:

Phase 1: analyse city-wide data to identify neighbourhoods needing investment and community partners to help with planting and maintenance needs.
Phase 2: approve Shade Tree Commission investments in 10 neighbourhoods that define measures to incrementally improve visible maintenance, capacity, tree planting, education, and employment opportunities.
Phase 3: evaluate tree canopy increases in selected neighbourhoods.
Phase 4: identify the next 10 neighbourhoods for investment to repeat the process and evaluation.

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Photo by Guido Coppa on Unsplash