Treeless sidewalks in New York City

Walkspan on Climate Change

Approximately 40,579 sidewalks in New York City are without trees. This accounts for 24 percent of the 168,681 sidewalk block faces in the city. Figure 1 illustrates where these treeless sidewalks are, stretching approximately 1,544 linear miles. The presence of nature along city sidewalks is one of the constructs Walkspan measures in determining neighborhood walkability. Other constructs measured are architecture, activity, safety, access, vibrance, interest, noise, legibility, and social equity.

Treeless sidewalks would be a good place to initiate Phase 2 of the MillionTreeNYC program which started in 2007 and had met its goal in 2015 — two years ahead of schedule. There are urgent calls for the current administration to plant another million trees by 2030.

Not only will this put the city in a better position to combat climate change, but it will also improve the quality of life of its citizens. Trees offer shading, reduce heat island effect, increase biodiversity, and support storm water management.

According to Joseph Ostapiuk of Silive.com, NYC spends anywhere between $2,700 to $3,500 to plant a tree. If the city were to plant trees on 24 percent of its treeless sidewalks, the cost would be approximately $1.4 billion – a small price to pay to reverse the effects of climate change.

Let us celebrate National Tree week from November 26th to December 5th by exploring opportunities to plant trees along our sidewalks.

Bernardita Calinao, PhD

Founder and CEO