The benefits of having abundant and well-planned green spaces in urban areas goes beyond aesthetics. Parks, landscaping, planters, tree-lined streets, and urban forests also translate to increased property value, lower energy costs, and more revenue for the city.
For instance, officials with the city of Denver claim that as much as $18 million of the city's annual tourism revenue can be attributed to its parks system. The city of Charlotte estimates that it's tree-lined streets provide more than $900,000 in energy savings per year. And Milwaukee’s urban forest helps remove 496 tons of pollution annually.
All three metros were ranked recently as best U.S. cities for urban forests by the conservation organization American Forests, in a project funded by the U.S. Forest Service. As part of the study, American Forests worked with a panel of urban forest experts to evaluate the nation's 50 most populous cities based on:
- Civic engagement in maintaining the urban forest
- Urban forest strategies and city greening to address city infrastructure challenges
- Accessibility of urban forest and greenspaces to the public
- Overall health and condition of the city’s urban forest
- Documented knowledge about its urban forests
- Urban forest management plans and management activities.
Based on their research, American Forests assembled a list of the top 10 cities for urban forests:
Austin, Texas — 18% of city is parkland; diverse tree canopy; urban forest management plan in place
Charlotte, N.C. — has several recreation attractions, including the U.S. National Whitewater Center and a pocket park known as The Green; strong comprehensive management plans; tree ordinances designed to protect both public and private trees; public-private initiative, TreesCharlotte, to plant trees on private property.
Denver — requires developers to diversify tree species during plantings; developed city-wide planting and canopy goals; keeps records of the age distribution of the canopy; major attractions include the Denver Botanic Gardens, with more than 32,000 species of plants, and the City Park Arboretum, with more than 3,000 trees.
Milwaukee — home to Wisconsin’s only urban state park, Lakeshore State Park; has 25 acres of park per 1,000 residents; urban forest provides $15 million in stormwater savings and removes 496 tons of pollution annually; keeps comprehensive inventory of trees; implemented diversification plans.
Minneapolis — a park every six blocks, including some designed for off-road cycling, hiking, canoeing and swimming; tree canopy of 31 percent, only 6.5 percent shy of its potential canopy of 37.5 percent; one of the first cities to use the U.S. Forest Service’s iTree assessment tool to determine the benefits of its urban forest.
New York — 19.5% of city is parkland; five trees per acre for a canopy of 21 percent; series of management plans, including several that focus on wetlands and green infrastructure; mayor has set goal of planting one million new trees by 2017
Portland, Ore. — main attractions include a 5,000-plus-acre park with 70 miles of trails and an arboretum with nearly 1,000 species of trees and shrubs; goals for the city’s canopy are built into multiple management plans; city is using green infrastructure as a cost-effective alternative to gray infrastructure; protecting its trees through public and private ordinances and a diversification strategy; estimates that its street trees alone have added more than $13 million in property resale value.
Sacramento, Calif. — main attractions include a 33-mile bike trail and the picturesque Capitol Park surrounding California’s State Capitol, which features 450 varieties of trees and flowering shrubs; recently completed a best management practices study; has a strong volunteer base; each year, one of the city’s electric utilities and a nonprofit partner to plant 13,000 trees on private property that will provide shade to homes and reduce energy demand.
Seattle — recently completed an iTree analysis and Interactive Habitat Map, designed to let urban forestry team members know not only where trees can be planted, but also what kind of species would be most desirable; features an old-growth forest and a former crude oil plant location turned into a park; city's 4.35 million trees are estimated to be worth about $4.9 billion.
Washington, D.C. — the National Mall and its monuments and memorials feature 17,000 trees; the District also houses the nation’s first urban park, Rock Creek Park, as part of its more than 7,000 acres of parkland and has two major rivers within its city limits.
For more on the top 10, visit: http://www.americanforests.org/our-programs/urbanforests/10-best-cities-for-urban-forests.
Related Stories
| Feb 11, 2011
Kentucky’s first green adaptive reuse project earns Platinum
(FER) studio, Inglewood, Calif., converted a 115-year-old former dry goods store in Louisville, Ky., into a 10,175-sf mixed-use commercial building earned LEED Platinum and holds the distinction of being the state’s first adaptive reuse project to earn any LEED rating. The facility, located in the East Market District, houses a gallery, event space, offices, conference space, and a restaurant. Sustainable elements that helped the building reach its top LEED rating include xeriscaping, a green roof, rainwater collection and reuse, 12 geothermal wells, 81 solar panels, a 1,100-gallon ice storage system (off-grid energy efficiency is 68%) and the reuse and recycling of construction materials. Local firm Peters Construction served as GC.
| Feb 11, 2011
Former Richardson Romanesque hotel now houses books, not beds
The Piqua (Ohio) Public Library was once a late 19th-century hotel that sat vacant and deteriorating for years before a $12.3 million adaptive reuse project revitalized the 1891 building. The design team of PSA-Dewberry, MKC Associates, and historic preservation specialist Jeff Wray Associates collaborated on the restoration of the 80,000-sf Richardson Romanesque building, once known as the Fort Piqua Hotel. The team restored a mezzanine above the lobby and repaired historic windows, skylight, massive fireplace, and other historic details. The basement, with its low ceiling and stacked stone walls, was turned into a castle-like children’s center. The Piqua Historical Museum is also located within the building.
| Feb 11, 2011
Sustainable community center to serve Angelinos in need
Harbor Interfaith Services, a nonprofit serving the homeless and working poor in the Harbor Area and South Bay communities of Los Angeles, engaged Withee Malcolm Architects to design a new 15,000-sf family resource center. The architects, who are working pro bono for the initial phase, created a family-centered design that consolidates all programs into a single building. The new three-story space will house a resource center, food pantry, nursery and pre-school, and administrative offices, plus indoor and outdoor play spaces and underground parking. The building’s scale and setbacks will help it blend with its residential neighbors, while its low-flow fixtures, low-VOC and recycled materials, and energy-efficient mechanical equipment and appliances will help it earn LEED certification.
| Feb 11, 2011
Texas megachurch inspired by yesteryear’s materials, today’s design vocabulary
The third phase of The First Baptist Church of Pasadena, Texas, involves construction of a new 115,000-sf worship center addition. Currently in design by Zeigler Cooper, the project will include a 2,500-seat worship center (with circular layout and space for a 50-person orchestra and 200-person choir), a 500-seat chapel (for weddings, funerals, and special events), and a prayer room. The addition will connect to the existing church and create a Christian Commons for education, administration, music, and fellowship. The church asked for a modern design that uses traditional materials, such as stone, brick, and stained glass. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer.
| Feb 11, 2011
Four-story library at Salem State will hold half a million—get this—books!
Salem State University in Massachusetts broke ground on a new library and learning center in December. The new four-story library will include instructional labs, group study rooms, and a testing center. The modern, 124,000-sf design by Boston-based Shepley Bulfinch includes space for 500,000 books and study space for up to a thousand students. Sustainable features include geothermal heating and cooling, rainwater harvesting, and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
| Jan 21, 2011
Sustainable history center exhibits Fort Ticonderoga’s storied past
Fort Ticonderoga, in Ticonderoga, N.Y., along Lake Champlain, dates to 1755 and was the site of battles in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. The new $20.8 million, 15,000-sf Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center pays homage to the French magasin du Roi (the King’s warehouse) at the fort.
| Jan 21, 2011
Library planned for modern media enthusiasts
The England Run Library, a new 30,000-sf glass, brick, and stone building, will soon house more than 100,000 books and DVDs. The Lukmire Partnership, Arlington, Va., designed the Stafford County, Va., library, the firm’s fourth for the Central Rappahannock Library System, to combine modern library-browsing trends with traditional library services.
| Jan 21, 2011
Music festival’s new home showcases scenic setting
Epstein Joslin Architects, Cambridge, Mass., designed the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Mass., to showcase the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, as well at the site’s ocean views.
| Jan 20, 2011
Worship center design offers warm and welcoming atmosphere
The Worship Place Studio of local firm Ziegler Cooper Architects designed a new 46,000-sf church complex for the Pare de Sufrir parish in Houston.
| Jan 20, 2011
Construction begins on second St. Louis community center
O’Fallon Park Recreation Complex in St. Louis, designed by local architecture/engineering firm KAI Design & Build, will feature an indoor aquatic park with interactive water play features, a lazy river, water slides, laps lanes, and an outdoor spray and multiuse pool.
