More support for the idea that street trees

More support for the idea that street trees are a civic amenity, not a safety hazard, is offered by the study “Street Trees and Intersection Safety,” by University of California, Berkeley, urban design professor Elizabeth Macdonald. The study notes that street tree regulations in many cities are not solving sight-obstruction problems — parked cars and SUVs obstruct sight lines to a greater degree — yet are making streets less pedestrian-friendly. “For at least 250 years, the finest of streets the world over have been associated with trees,” the study notes. The jury is still out as to whether housing in highly walkable environments will do better during the real estate slump, but the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel recently reported that downtown housing still is fairly hot, while suburban McMansions are languishing.