# Urban street-level landscaping in your city?



## RafflesCity (Sep 11, 2002)

Do planning authorities in your city require the planting of trees and vegetation for aesthetic/environmental reasons along city streets? I'm not referring to designated parks.

Feel free to post pics 


In Singapore, most roads are designed to include 2 extra elements - a pedestrian path and a green strip aka the road reserve.

The trees provide not only a pleasant environment, but also offer protection from the sun.

Thick bushes conceal traffic









Pedestrian route and green strip


















Orchard Road (one of the main streets in the CBD)









A canopy-effect when viewed from above









More pics here


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## Indyman (Apr 1, 2005)

Wow that last pic is great. The greenery is wonderful.


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## sk (Dec 6, 2005)

i dont know if its a law here in cyprus but many streets have trees.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Chinese cities tend to do a very good job with landscaping urban areas. 

*Guilin*



















*Hangzhou*


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## I-275westcoastfl (Feb 15, 2005)

Landscaping is pretty nice down here in florida in cities.


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## pwright1 (Jun 1, 2003)

*Seattle*


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## sc4 (Apr 6, 2006)

There's already a thread quite similar to this. Can it be consolidated?
http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=374481


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## Bikkel (Jun 8, 2005)

Yes, in NL it's forced by law. Moreover, 1% off the budget for any medium-sized or big project has to be spent on art, as part of the project, and even when the country has few forests, it has many trees. Squares, places and roads are designed to feature green and to slow down traffic, with straight streets that actually have bendy roads; first a tree to the right, couple of yards further a tree to the left, and curves in between. The concept proved very successful to cut the number of traffic accidents.


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## mdiederi (Jun 15, 2006)

I was glad when they added palm trees down the middle of the Las Vegas strip back in the 1990's. I was kind of bland before that.

But around the rest of the city it's not very good. Few parks to speak of. Lots of palm trees here and there (which have to be imported because they aren't native) but palm trees don't provide much shade. We need more shade trees BAD, but they probably need too much water to survive here.

I miss green. Thanks for the pictures.


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## spyguy (Apr 16, 2005)

Chicago has extensive landscaping on the sides of streets and medians.


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## RafflesCity (Sep 11, 2002)

Bikkel said:


> Yes, in NL it's forced by law. Moreover, 1% off the budget for any medium-sized or big project has to be spent on art, as part of the project, and even when the country has few forests, it has many trees. Squares, places and roads are designed to feature green and to slow down traffic, with straight streets that actually have bendy roads; first a tree to the right, couple of yards further a tree to the left, and curves in between. The concept proved very successful to cut the number of traffic accidents.


That sounds similar here.

A dedicated body called the National Parks Board oversees all such matters on trees and parks, and any new proposals or developments would also have to meet their requirements before proceeding forward. 

All major expressways are also lined with trees and plants, including the central divider:

1.









2.









thanks to hyacinthus for the pics too, one of the great photographers on this forum


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Some tree-lined streets in *New York* :


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## cmoonflyer (Aug 17, 2005)

Nice thread ! Like to see the streets level pics !


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## RafflesCity (Sep 11, 2002)

The street-landscaping masterplan for Singapore's CBD extension:

Creating a multi-sensory environment at Marina Bay

By Goh Kim Chai

*URA and National Parks Board have drawn up a Landscape Master Plan to give each district in Marina Bay a different look and feel, with different planting schemes to bring out its distinctive character and identity.*









_Each district in Marina Bay will have its own colour scheme
under the Landscape Master Plan_


IMAGINE WORKING IN a modern city decorated with lush greenery, flowering plants and beautiful landscapes. As you go to work every morning, a canopy of graceful raintrees on the East Coast expressway greets you. When you enter the city, you are further welcomed by formal boulevards with trees of different shapes and forms, and shrubs of vibrant colours. Approaching from Raffles Place, a view of the Integrated Resort is revealed across the glittering bay waters in the morning sun. Next, you travel pass a large linear park carpeted with blossoming flowers and its fragrance envelops you. Upon turning right at Bayfront Avenue, the type of trees and street planting changes to palms. This can well be your daily experience if your workplace or home is at the future Marina Bay.

*Distinctive districts*
Under the Landscape Master Plan for Marina Bay, trees and shrubs of various shapes and sizes as well as colours and fragrances will be planted along key roads and open spaces to create a sense of place and orientation.

*Colours by the Bay*
Each district will have its own colour scheme to enhance the visual senses. The Central subzone next to the existing Central Business District will have a yellow/gold theme to reflect the future financial activities there. Yellow raintrees and yellow flowering plants will be a regular feature in this district which will have mostly office and residential developments.

The district where the current Marina Bay MRT Station is located will adopt a different colour theme. Pink flowering trees such as the Frangipani and Pink Poui will be planted here to add to the vibrancy of the place. A formal public plaza about 3.2 ha in size, has been planned as a focal point for this area. This can be a vantage point to experience a flowering festival of blossoms.

Green, a colour that represents ‘harmony’, will distinguish the Bayfront area from the rest of Marina Bay. Palms of various forms will be planted here, extending the botanical planting scheme of the future Garden at Marina South to the district and the waterfront promenade around Marina Bay. This district, which houses the Integrated Resort, will have a more coastal feel.









_Different trees, different looks. From left: rain tree, pink poui and palm_

*Fragrance along the streets*
The Landscape Master Plan for Marina Bay goes beyond providing greenery and shades to further enliven your senses. Fragrant plants and flowers will be used to enhance the identity and feel of each district.

From the stunning fragrance of the Wild Water Plum to the pleasant Plumeria rubra cultivar, flowering plants will be used to layer each district with different scents. These plants will heighten the outdoor experience by engaging the most powerful of our senses – the sense of smell.

*Multi-level visual experience*
What you see as you walk along the street will be different from the view you have as you drive on the road. Similarly, these views will be different from the view you get of the same street from a tall building. In coming up with the landscaping schemes, much effort has been put into providing different spatial experiences for users at different levels. At the city level, the way in which the trees are planted and the colour of the crowns will give the area a unique recognisable image. At the vehicular and pedestrian level, the form of the crown as well as the colour and texture of the foliage will provide a delightful visual and sensory experience.

*Former feel for boulevards*
Large and wide-canopied trees will line the main boulevards such as the Marina Boulevard and Central Boulevard to create a distinctively formal feel. The Sepetir, which has a dome shaped crown capable of achieving spreads of up to 12 metres and heights of up to 30 metres, will be a regular feature on these roads. The walkways along these roads are also wider to create a sense of space and provide for street-based activities such as ‘al fresco dining’ and kiosks.









_Artist’s impression of Marina and Central Boulevards_

*Signature streets*
Bayfront Avenue will be a signature street lined with columnar-shaped trees such as the Jelutong and Chengal Pasir. The trees have been chosen to enhance the street’s north-south orientation and allow more sunlight to filter down to the street level. To create a ‘reddish carpet effect’, Pseuderanthemum Pink shrubs will be planted at this level. Side streets off Bayfront Avenue will be planted with palms.

*Iconic gateway*
To make driving in Marina Bay a memorable experience, the signature wide-canopied raintrees along the East Coast Parkway will be extended along Sheares Avenue. They will be complemented by brightly coloured flowering shrubs, such as Crinum spp. and Hippeastrum spp marking the gateway into Marina Bay.

When completed, a multicoloured, multi-sensory environment will be created at Marina Bay. It will reinforce its sense of place and further enhance its image as a “City-in-a-Garden”.


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## junstein (Oct 2, 2010)

manila philippines

*green manila*


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## poshbakerloo (Jan 16, 2007)

I love big trees in, inner city areas! Sheffield, UK has planted loads of trees in the last 10 years but they are still quite small.


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## CarltonHill (Dec 11, 2011)

*MAKATI CITY CBD, PHILIPPINES*


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## gabrielbabb (Aug 11, 2006)

In Mexico City the trees and plants we have the most are Ahuehuetes, Jacarandas, Fresnos (ash), pines, canary palms, ficus, cypress






























Jacarandas original por villafanart designo, en Flickr


Colonia Polanco,Ciudad de México por Aquarela 08, en Flickr


Pre Navidad en Reforma por organiq, en Flickr






































and in the outskirts pine trees


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Street-level landscaping in Metro Manila are usually central business districts or in private residential subdivisions.


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## earthJoker (Dec 15, 2004)

Grün Stadt Zürich (green city Zürich) is responsible for all trees/plants in the streets (http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/gsz)

Bahnhofstrasse


















Bellevue









I think there could be more green in the city. But the streets are often to narrow have a line of trees.


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