"In most of the US, a street without trees is a street where people rarely walk, and therefore almost always drive. This is bad for our towns, our wallets, and our waistlines."

For art students (or the artistically inclined), kindly note that I'm working on a public art project at present and need help, precisely because I'm not artistically inclined.

You're no doubt familiar with this supremely botched civic metaphor:

Is it possible to render this into a stencil?

Say, about eight inches in diameter?

It wouldn't have to have the same exact detail, just so long as it is recognizable as the same supremely botched civic metaphor.

Thanks, and please contact me via the usual channels if you can help. There are beers in it for you (gotta be legal age, natch).

Meanwhile, here's another article about how our City Hall cannot grasp the need for trees.

Street trees are essential for Walk Appeal, by Steve Mouzon (Congress for the New Urbanism)

Trees should be planted either in swales (on primarily residentail streets) or in tree wells (on Main Streets). Do not listen to “urban foresters,” who insist that trees must be planted in landscape beds large enough for their mature drip lines.

Street trees are essential for strong Walk Appeal almost anywhere in the US, which makes them a fundamental part of the public frontage, which extends from the property line to the edge of the street. We’ll talk about other public frontage parts later, but street trees are so important that they warrant their own discussion. Two things will be apparent when we look at street trees and other public frontage parts: First, none of this is rocket science; simple rules of thumb cover most of these parts. On the other hand, it’s shocking how often a city, a Department of Transportation, or a developer gets them wrong… so do what you can to get people informed in your city or town.

Why should we plant street trees?

There are many reasons to plant street trees (most of which will be in a later post), but the two most obvious ones are closely intertwined: Walk Appeal and sustainability. In most of the US, a street without trees is a street where people rarely walk, and therefore almost always drive. This is bad for our towns, our wallets, and our waistlines.