Every week, we bring you the latest news in placemaking, landscape architecture, the nature-mental health link, and much more. Check back each week for new roundups and items.
How Trees Can Boost a Home’s Sale Price
“Maybe money grows on trees after all. In an analysis of 2,608 real-estate transactions over 10 months, researchers found that homes with “street trees,” those planted between the sidewalk and street, sold for $7,130 more, on average, than homes without street trees. What’s more, homes with street trees sold 1.7 days more quickly than homes without street trees, says Geoffrey Donovan, an economist at the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station in Portland, Ore. Neighbors can reap the benefits as well. Homeowners who live within 100 feet of street trees enjoy a sale premium of $1,688, on average, even though the trees aren’t on their property…The advantages of trees go well beyond mere aesthetics, Mr. Donovan says. “There’s increasing evidence that there are huge public health consequences of living in a city. Not everyone can live next to Central Park. Trees are a way of modifying this urban environment.” Other research conducted by Mr. Donovan shows that street trees are associated with cleaner air, lower energy use and lower crime.”
Park Equipment Offering Outdoor Alternative to Gyms
“The gym is literally moving outdoors, to a park near you…Bogota and Teaneck want to join a growing list of towns nationwide that are adding exercise equipment to parks and playgrounds to encourage residents to get off the couch and get active. These outdoor gyms — also called Fitness Zones or adult playgrounds — have been gaining popularity over the past decade, popping up in parks in Newark; New York; Los Angeles; Boise, Idaho; and St. Petersburg, Fla. ‘What we are trying to do is to give people a healthy choice when they are out there walking,’ said August “Chip” Greiner, the Bogota borough administrator, who is applying for $22,004 in county open space grants to buy and install the equipment. ‘Maybe they want to do something more than walk, and maybe they can’t afford to join a gym, or maybe they can’t afford exercise equipment at home.’”
Why Parks Matter: How Our Parks Affect City Life
“Studies show city parks increase health, social connection, aid the environment and have positive impacts on the local economy. How does that play out in our local parks? In an era of urban revitalization that is creating increased populations in American urban environments, it is important for cities to maintain the appropriate levels and quality of green space to keep up with the growth. Various studies indicate many benefits that urban green space provides. Four major benefits of city parks are they increase health, social connection, aid the environment and have significant positive impacts on the local economy.”
How Would NYC’s Great Urban Planners Design For The Future?
“Alex Washburn, New York City’s Chief of Urban Design, lives in Red Hook. When Hurricane Sandy hit, he watched the flood waters stream into stream into his brick townhouse, and since then, he, along with his neighbors, has been trying to figure out how to rebuild. He shares his experience in his new book The Nature of Urban Design, from which Places recently published an excerpt called “Resilience In Red Hook.” It details Washburn’s struggle in trying to rebuild his house in a manner that fits all city, state, and federal flood-protection requirements, but one of the most interesting points comes when Washburn talks about his urban planning methodology: ‘Whenever I am faced with a difficult project, I ask myself what the great urban designers of New York would think. Robert Moses, Jane Jacobs, Frederick Law Olmsted: I call them my three bosses. I haven’t succeeded unless they are satisfied. How would they transform Red Hook to be resilient?’”
