Our Future Environment

The highest percentage of activity observed in high cover tree areas for a certain time was a tie between weekday mornings (adults, 56%), weekend mornings (adults, 56%), and weekend evenings (adults, 56%). During those times, adults engaged in active behavior more often than passive. However, for all days youth engaged in passive behavior more often than active when in higher tree cover areas. This suggests that youth are more likely to stand, sit, and talk with others in high tree cover areas rather than walk or play.
The highest percentage of activity observed in low tree cover areas for a certain time was weekend mornings (youth, 67%). On weekend evenings, 66% of youth observed were in low tree cover areas and on weekday mornings 65% of youth observed were in low tree cover areas. However, no consistent behavior was found for low tree cover areas. It is interesting to note that youth were in opposite tree cover areas during the same time as adults. Several conclusions could be drawn from activity in the low tree cover areas, one possible explanation is that residents use streets with low tree cover for individual purposes other than social activity and may use them simply as a way to get from point a to point b.
The data from group activity is worth noting. For all days, groups interacted more often in higher tree cover areas. In the high tree cover areas, groups engaged in passive behavior more often than active behavior. In low tree cover areas, groups engaged in active behavior more often than passive behavior. This suggests that groups are more likely to talk, walk, or play in low tree cover areas but more likely to stand, talk or sit in high tree cover areas.
The areas of high and low tree cover (See Figures 1 and 2) are anecdotally correlated with residential buildings. On Bergen Street and St. Marks Avenue buildings are mostly commercial or abandoned. It would be interesting to know if tree planting would lead to use of public space in these areas despite few residential buildings. However it is not possible with this research method to observe such.

Filed under: environmental planning on April 9th, 2008