Planting new trees is a key part of investing in “public spaces,” according to Reimagining the Civic Commons, which for years advocated for reinvigorating public spaces such as parks in Chicago and other Midwest cities and also stressing how developing such shaded neighborhoods not only improves an area’s appearance and property values, but reduces crime in five ways:
- Time in Nature relieves mental stress, and cuts aggressiveness.
- Clearing and greening barren lots creates welcoming settings and supports a sense of safety.
- Parks or even shaded spaces around churches, libraries or other public grounds helps build gathering places, social ties and community connections.
- Public health benefits: More trees means more carbon dioxide is absorbed and more oxygen is released, plus more shade reduces cities’ dangerous “heat islands.”
- Socially, improving the liveability of neighborhoods through tree-planting can help reverse years of the vicious cycle of inequality, disinvestment and poverty
SOURCES: Reimagining the Civic Commons; “How Cities Use Parks to Create Safer Neighborhoods” (University of Illinois); USDA