Urban Trees and Greens

Where are the trees?

Presentation by Kalpavriksh on the Urban Greens Project

 In a city trees are found in:
• City forests, Hills if
any
• Parks and gardens
• Roadsides ie. avenue
trees
• Residential Colonies
 The basic need for Trees to
grow well are:
• Free soil space for
healthy growth
• Space for roots to
spread
• Space for the canopy
 Problem Area 1: Tree roots are not
visible and hence tend to be neglected
• Trees have deep as well
as lateral roots
• Lateral roots spread
horizontally as far as the
canopy spreads (Thumb
rule)
• Roots need soil air and
water that nourish the
trees.
• Lateral roots are
concentrated just beneath
the surface soil.
Problem Area 2: A pavement is usually
a narrow strip of space for pedestrians
and trees.
• This space is left as free soil space
or is cemented with concrete.
• Concreted pavements severely
restrict root aeration and water
percolation.
• In summer they become very hot
during the daytime and the lateral
roots get scorched in the process.
• During monsoons, deep roots are
generally submerged in water and
the aerial roots have to do all the
root aeration.
• Cementing prevents this root
aeration and trees die during
monsoon, a time when they
should be flourishing.
 Problem Area 3: Concreting/
Cementing of pavements leads to:

• Large scale tree deaths

• More flooding of roads during monsoon
• Prevention of groundwater recharge
• Huge amount of malba if dug out causing
disposal problem.
 The process of Cementing/
Concreting of pavements also
•
involves:
Removal of the top soil which
is most fertile and nutrient
rich, to make space for the
cement concrete mixture.
• Cutting off the lateral roots
which are concentrated in the
top soil.
• Use of Stones/ bricks,
cement, tiles, badarpur which
are all eco degrading
• High Expenses. Cash strapped
municipalities divert funds for
cementing as a priority
 Materials and resources used in
cementing/concreting

• Stones/ bricks, cement, tiles, badarpur are all eco

degrading.
• Rocks are mined and broken into stones. Mining the
Aravallis is a serious eco- problem. Stone crushing
and rock breaking cause severe air pollution. Tile
making is highly energy intensive. Cement mfg. ….
• Concreting is also a very expensive moneywise. Cash
strapped municipalities divert funds for cementing as
a priority.
Bird diversity in a city depends
on :
• Geographical location
• The type of natural
vegetation present
• The type of cultivated
vegetation present.
Parks and Gardens will attract varieties
of birds only if they have :
• Native trees
• Bushes, shrubs and
hedges
• Climbers and vines
• Undergrowth
• Reeds/ Groundcovers
• Grassy patches
In the present Urban Scenario all parks and
gardens are being:

• Planted with only ornamental trees that have

little utility for birds.
• Landscaped with high-maintenance lawns
• Tiled with cemented pathways that are not
useful for jogging and daily walkers
• Enclosed with high stonewalls with grill work
instead of green hedges.
• Provided with avoidable lighting and ugly
fountains.
• Provided with shops which further reduces the
green space
 Ideally a park should be left
undisturbed as
• The native vegetation alongwith
far as possible:
the undergrowth should not be
cleared and replaced with
ornamental plants. The cost of
upkeep and water/ manure
requirements rise steeply.
• Walkpaths should not be
cemented
• Construction with cement/
concrete and steel should be
minimal
• Each park should have its unique
character and designs should not
be homogenized.
• Lighting should be only through
solar energy
• Fallen leaves and other green
wastes should be composted
within the park itself
• Water harvesting designs must be
integrated.
 As corrective action (Delhi), since most
roads have negligible pedestrian movement
whereas vehicular load is heavy

• On the few roads with heavy pedestrian load, sidewalks

may be concreted with porous tiles after leaving sufficient
space around tree base
• On most roads with low pedestrian load, the sidewalks
should be left green and grassy with no cemented work.
On many such roads, including colony roads, that have
already been cemented, the tiles need to be uprooted and
replaced with greenery.
• Central verges not to be cemented but have running
hedges to prevent headlight glare and pedestrian crossing.
• Water harvesting on roadsides to benefit avenue greenery
 Other points
• All parks should be parks of Indian Diversity (In Pune for e.g
there is a Japanese Garden which has been made at a huge
expense of more than a couple of crores of rupees)
• Wild grass on roadsides are best to prevent dust. These
should not be uprooted as is the general practice.
• Trees should not stand alone and must be interconnected
with hedges and grasses
• Excessive pruning and lopping of trees and hedges/ shrubs
should be avoided especially in the wrong season.
• Space between boundary walls and roads should not be
cemented.
• There is no reason to cement driveways
Thanks