If you imagine a sustainable city, what do you see?
It is likely you will picture some greenery – a green roof, a couple of trees, a park or even an urban forest. It first comes to mind as it is a visible indicator of sustainability, and rightly so as trees contribute greatly to preserving the environment.
Trees are not only nice to look at (so nice in fact that studies have shown they contribute to lowering stress levels), but they are also hugely beneficial for regulating urban temperatures, filtering pollutants in the air and preserving biodiversity. The list of positive impacts has not gone unnoticed to the city of Paris, which has produced a roadmap for the next couple of years around preserving this particular asset, which is described within the public manifest as the city’s “best ally to face climate change” (Plan Arbre).
Paris counts approximately 500 000 trees, including 300 000 in the two main woods (bois de Boulogne and bois de Vincennes), 100 000 in the streets, and 100 000 in remaining public spaces such as parks, gardens, cemeteries, etc. The objective set by Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, is to plant no less than 170 000 additional trees under the course of her mandate (that is, 2020-2026).
This visualisation aims to show the progress made to reach this ambitious goal, mapping the trees that have been planted and those that have been felled between end of 2021 and summer of 2022.