{"id":571,"date":"2012-08-04T19:50:05","date_gmt":"2012-08-04T18:50:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/?p=571"},"modified":"2013-04-14T17:42:30","modified_gmt":"2013-04-14T16:42:30","slug":"trees-are-not-just-for-city-folk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourlocality.org\/abbeylands\/trees-are-not-just-for-city-folk\/","title":{"rendered":"Trees are not just for city folk"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Street<\/a>
Street trees have multiple benefits for communities and retail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is a view that folk that live in rural towns or perhaps by the sea, don’t need trees lining their streets. For these folk probably have large gardens or can within short walking distances – or more likely these days a car journey – take a stroll in real countryside. People that live in cities often have better and more accessible amenities and parkland to enjoy. But that misses the point, as urban trees, greens and parkland are not a substitute for countryside amenities. Cities very often have well-managed and long established street planting schemes along main streets and side streets, within low or high rise residential areas, and including pocket parks. New plantings are increasingly commonplace. A new report out ‘Trees in the townscape<\/a>‘ renews the case for urban trees, and while it is not the most inspiring read it inspired me to write this.<\/p>\n

Tree enthusiasts say that trees are a vital part of urban infrastructure and offer a variety of benefits \u2013 shade in summer, shelter from rain and wind; can help to keep the air clean and breathable, support wildlife and, even more they can add value to the culture and economy of our towns. Areas with trees have lower levels of vandalism and lower crime rates.<\/p>\n

Detractors say they interfere with modern services aboveground and underground, increase maintenance and associated costs like street cleaning. If they don’t encourage vandalism they remove places that could accommodate much needed parking and anyway new plantings\u00a0are likely to be historically ill-fitting. Moreover they are difficult to establish and will\u00a0suffer die back in hot summers and during harsh winters, and vandalism. Anyone with experience of a poorly designed or badly implemented planting schemes may think all schemes must be like these. I’ve not heard this but I’m sure trees probably obscure CCTV coverage. Villains can hide behind trees, even the thinnest ones.<\/p>\n

I contend that most rural towns, even historic ones that may not have a long history of trees in the streetscape can nonetheless benefit. What is the case for Dunbar High Street?<\/p>\n

Before the age of the car, the streetscene would have been dominated by the wide streets and surrounding buildings. The street lighting from Victorian times onwards was proportionate and in scale with the buildings. \u00a0The feeling of wide open street would have been accented only by a surface drainage channel and no real pavement. The broad sweep was pretty much uninterrupted, both visually and physically and\u00a0the homogenous cobbles defined what was effectively a shared space.<\/p>\n

The scene today could not be more different. Cars are the most evident fixture, which although transient, are omni-present – day and night. The shop facades taken together have a considerable visual impact too contributing to the hotch-potch post-modern look, despite being entirely regulated. The pavements, although wide, cramp the space for cars defining sharply the separation of pedestrian and car space. The long lines of cars are interrupted only by crossings, which themselves create a series of sections and redefine the street scene into smaller segments. Arguably these segments are more intimate visually enclosing discrete sub zones of the street. \u00a0Belisha beacons (ugly ones I have to say), two mini roundabouts and a triangular island at the Abbey Church punctuate at intervals the sweep, but clearly restate the High Street as a thoroughfare, not so much a shared place. The lighting scheme is an attempt at classical, but is too heavy and pastiche. \u00a0It is as incongruous as it is brash and out of proportion. East Lothian Council gets some praise for not having ugly on-street communal rubbish bins.<\/p>\n

So recent developments have changed dramatically the look and the feel of the streetscene. These changes – some more deleterious than others – have been accepted as part of the need to adapt for modern living and change. Moreover these changes are mostly very recent and have taken place mostly since the town was designated as a Conservation Area and certainly long after the historic buildings were listed.<\/p>\n

But if change is the only constant, we should be able to accept and accommodate further change, with thew proviso that it is well-designed and thought through. As we collectively revalue the importance of our High Streets not just as linear parking lots, we need to take a different view of the way they look, the way they are used and also the way they are therefore designed.<\/p>\n

We don’t need opinion surveys to tell us how or what, but talented designers and architects to guide and inspire us and technical skills to ensure they are implemented and managed well.<\/p>\n

The benefits of trees on our High Street are worth restating:<\/p>\n