O cto b e r 2012

SITELINES Landscape Architecture in British Columbia

Trees in the Urban Landscape

Trees in the Urban Landscape | Up By Roots | Reversing the Trend of Urban Deforestation in the UK |
Sustainable Urban Forest Management Planning | Economics of City Trees
 Elms - Prince George, BC.

All images courtesy of Julian A. Dunster.

By Kathleen L. Wolf, Ph.D.,

Economics
University of Washington

oƒ City The urban forest provides many economic values. City trees

Trees
are generally not grown and harvested for products that can
be bought and sold on markets. But they do provide many
intangible services and benefits that economists estimate
as non-market values. Here are evidence-based examples.

Residential are generally preferred to comparable valued from 8 to 20 percent higher than

Property Values properties without trees, with the trend

across studies being a price increase of
comparable properties.i Also, having adjacent
street trees positively affects home values
Most valuation studies have focused about 7 percent. Street trees appear to add and time on market for salesii, while yard
on residential property value. Hedonic value even to adjacent properties, up to 100 trees are associated with both higher
pricing is used to capture the proportion feet away in one study. Table 1 shows results property values and rental rates. iii, iv, v
of property prices that are derived from across several studies.

Retail Shopping
the non-use value of trees and other In more recent studies the proximate
landscape elements. Although there have principle describes how homes adjacent
been a few exceptions, properties with trees to naturalistic parks and open spaces are Retail merchants are often concerned that
trees block the visibility of their shops
and signs. They may focus on the near-
Table 1: Contribution of Trees to Property Valuations
term direct costs (such as pruning and
Price Increase Condition debris clean up), and overlook the more
indirect and long-term benefits of a
Mature yard trees (greater quality urban forest. Contingent valuation
2 percent
than 9-inch dbh) studies indicate the potential returns
from investing in trees in retail and
3 percent Larger street trees commercial districts. A series of studies
measured how shoppers respond to the
Trees in front yard
3 to 5 percent urban forest across different business
landscaping settings. Shoppers and visitors compared
places with high quality urban forest
6 to 9 percent Good tree cover in a neighbourhood canopy to similar places that were kept
up well but did not contain trees. Survey
Mature trees in high-income participants are then asked what they would
10 to 15 percent
neighbourhoods be willing to pay for a set of goods and

14 SITELINES BC Society of Landscape Architects

 Table 2: Trees and Higher Stated Prices for Retail Goods and Services

Price Increase Condition

Goods and services in forested business districts
9 percent
in small cities
Good and services in forested business districts
11 to 12 percent
in large cities
9 percent Goods and services in landscaped strip malls

Goods and services in retail districts adjacent

7 to 11 percent
to vegetated freeway rights-of-way
Homes within 1/4 mile of “excellent
23 percent
commercial corridors

Tree-lined retail area - San Luis, Obispo, CA.

services in each, and their responses were statistically

compared. Generally, shoppers are willing to spend more
when shopping in the midst of trees in a variety of retail
settings (Table 2).

Urban Greening and Public Health

Trees are the backbone of urban ecosystems. Trees define
the quality and character of natural areas such as
conservation open spaces, greenbelts, and riparian corridors.
Constructed nature such as parks, streetscapes, community
gardens, pocket parks, and recreation paths are all more
preferred by people when they include trees.
In recent decades biophysical research has expanded
our understanding of the environmental services of urban
forests and other natural systems. Social scientists have
also expanded our knowledge about nature’s functions for
people in cities. We now know that metro nature directly
contributes to quality human habitat,vi and is profoundly
important for health of mind and body. The website Green
Cities: Good Health (http://depts.washington.edu/hhwb)
represents a collection of more than 2,200 scholarly
works that have been sorted into key topics about human
health and well-being, each represented by a summary essay
with citations.
For example, the public costs of treating diseases related to
obesity are staggering. Urban greening helps reduce health
risks. Living close to parks and other recreation facilities is
related to higher physical activity levels for both adults and
youth. vii Older people also benefit, as a study found that
seniors that had nearby parks, tree-lined streets, and
walkable spaces showed higher longevity over a 5-year study
period.viii Stress is a major contributor to ill-health in modern
times. Visual exposure to nature (that is trees, grass, and
flowers) can effectively reduce stress, particularly if initial >

October 2012 SITELINES 15

stress levels are high.ix Mental restoration is
also gained from spending time in an urban
green space, and increased length of stay (up Gray, Meet Green
to 1.5 hours) increases the restorative effect.x
Studies in Japan of Shinrin-yoku, or forest
walking and breathing, have found effects of
Bring green utilities to your city
improved immune system response, lowered with the Silva Cell.
stress indicators, reduced depression, and
lower glucose levels in diabetics.xi The Silva Cell uses vast, un-
compacted soil volumes and
In addition to physical well-being, nearby
healthy street trees to manage
nature contributes to better mental the rate, volume, and quality of
health and improves one’s capacity to be stormwater on-site.
productive. Office workers with a view
of nature are better able to attend to tasks, For use in sidewalks, plazas,
report fewer illnesses, and have higher parking lots, green roofs, green
job satisfaction.xii Outdoor activities can walls, parking lay-bys and more.
help alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s,
dementia, stress, and depression and
improve cognitive function in those
www.deeproot.com • (800) 561-3883
recently diagnosed with breast cancer.xiii, xiv, xv
Symptoms of ADD in children can be
reduced through activity in green evidence points to the high value to local Journal of Real Estate Research 23:139-161.
settings, thus Active “green time” in parks economies of human health and well-be- v.
Anderson, L., and H.K. Cordell. 1988.
reduces ADD symptoms in children, so ing as people experience nearby nature
Residential property values improve by
may be an effective supplement to standard in their communities. Perhaps money
landscaping with trees. Southern Journal
pharmaceutical treatments.xvi does indeed grown on trees! SL
of Applied Forestry 9:162-166.
This is but a small sample of the scientific Kathleen Wolf, Ph.D. is a research social Kuo, F.E.M. 2010. Parks and other green
vi.

evidence about health and well-being scientist with joint appointments at the environments: Essential components of a
benefits provided by city trees and greening, University of Washington (Seattle) and healthy human habitat. National Recreation
many having economic consequences.1 For USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest and Park Association, Ashburn, VA.
example, increased worker productivity and Research Station. Additional information
Wolf, K.L. 2008a. City trees, nature and
vii.
school performance have implications for and source articles about the economics of
physical activity: A research review.
local industry and work force development. trees can be found at two web sites: Green
Arborist News 17(1):22-24.
Nature-based healing and therapy may be Cities | Good Health (http://depts.washing-
reasonably priced supplements in human ton.edu/hhwb/), and the Human Dimensions Takano, T., K. Nakamura, and
viii.

services programs. Perhaps the most prom- of Urban Forestry and Urban Greening M. Watanabe. 2002. Urban residential
ising valuation opportunity is the relation- (www.naturewithin.info/). environments and senior citizens’
longevity in mega-city areas: The impor-
ship of outdoor space and active living, given
the high costs of treating chronic diseases as- References tance of walkable green space. Journal of
Crompton, J.L. 2005. The impact of parks
i. Epidemiology and Community Health
sociated with obesity (such as diabetes, heart
on property values: Empirical evidence 56(12):913–916.
disease, and stroke). Deferred costs are pos-
sible, as medical expenses are lower for peo- from the past two decades in the United Ulrich, R.S. 1986. Human responses to
ix.

ple who do routine physical activity and ex- States. Managing Leisure 10(4):203-218. vegetation and landscapes. Landscape and
ercise. The potential economic consequences Donovan, G.H., and D.T. Butry. 2010.
ii. Urban Planning 13:29-44
of routine, nature based experiences and ac- Trees in the city: Valuing street trees in x.
Korpela, K.M., M. Ylén, L. Tyrväinen,
tivity are enormous, when aggregated across Portland, Oregon. Landscape and Urban and H. Silvennoinen. 2008. Determinants of
regions, entire cities or the nation. Planning 94(2):77-83. restorative experiences in everyday favorite
Morales, D.J., 1980. The contribution of
iii. places. Health & Place 14(4):636-652.
City trees and urban forests add aesthetic
pleasure to our lives - and so much more. trees to residential property value. Journal Morita, E., S. Fukuda, J. Nagano, N.
xi.

Increased property values and more of Arboriculture 6:305-308. Hamajima, H. Yamamoto, Y. Iwai, et al.
vibrant shopping districts are the indirect des Rosiers, F., M. Theriault, Y. Kestens,
iv. 2007. Psychological effects of forest
returns of investing in high quality and P. Villeneuve. 2002. Landscaping and environments on healthy adults: Shinrin-
urban forests. More recently, scientific house values: An empirical investigation. yoku (forest-air bathing, walking) as a

16 SITELINES BC Society of Landscape Architects

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possible method of stress reduction. Cimprich, B., and D.L. Ronis. 2003.
xv.

Public Health 121(1):54-63. An environmental intervention to restore

Kaplan, R. 1993. The role
xii. attention in women with newly diagnosed
of nature in the context of the breast cancer. Cancer Nursing 26(4):284-292.
workplace. Landscape and Urban Taylor, A.F., and F.E. Kuo. 2009.
xvi.

Planning 26(1-4):193-201. Children with attention deficits concentrate

Mooney, P., and P.L. Nicell.
xiii. better after walk in the park. Journal of
1992. The importance of exterior Attention Disorders 12(5):402-09.
environment for Alzheimer
residents: Effective care and Footnotes:
risk management. Healthcare A study at the University of Washington,
1.

Management Forum 5(2):23-29. School of Environmental and Forest Sciences

Chalfont, G.E., and S. Rodiek.
xiv. is assessing the economic values of human
2005. Building edge: an ecological health and well being benefits that are provided
approach to research and design by urban forestry and urban greening.
of environments for people with
dementia. Alzheimer’s Care
Today 6(4):341.

Metro nature directly contributes to quality human habitat and is profoundly

important for health of mind and body.

October 2012 SITELINES 17