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Sustainable cities: seeing past the trees

Nature volume 468, page 765 (2010)Cite this article

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The problems facing our cities call for a holistic approach, not just for ecological solutions (Nature 468, 173; 2010). We also need to consider the resilience of the changes we make to the urban landscape in the name of sustainability (see http://www.urban-futures.org) and strike a balance between the benefits and disadvantages of these strategies.

Take street trees planted to improve biodiversity. They reduce air pollution by increasing particle deposition and replenishing oxygen, yet may also exacerbate it by reducing ventilation. They provide shade but limit passive solar heating. Their amenity value may be undermined by high costs for repairing infrastructure damaged by ground shrinking and swelling. Although they help to mitigate light pollution, trees are likely to increase lighting requirements, and although they store water they may need irrigating — and so on.

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  1. Lancaster University, UK

    Rob MacKenzie & Tom Pugh

  2. University of Birmingham, UK

    Chris Rogers

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  1. Rob MacKenzie
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  2. Tom Pugh
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  3. Chris Rogers
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MacKenzie, R., Pugh, T. & Rogers, C. Sustainable cities: seeing past the trees. Nature 468, 765 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/468765b

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  1. Jean SmilingCoyote

    'Striking a balance between the benefits and disadvantages of these strategies' such as street trees, requires a process called "troubleshooting" before the action is taken. Decades ago, there was a short-lived TV series in the USA called "The Troubleshooters;" I'm afraid now that there are many government officials who don't even know the word "troubleshooting" exists.

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