Connection - A Planted Tree
 
Thesis
    Statement
    Concepts
    inspirations
    connection
       introduction
       sundial
       windmill
       waterwheel
       a planted tree
       footbridges
       dragon
       the path
       conclusion
    vocabulary
    Precedents
    Site
    Programme
    Scratch Pad

EcoResearch

Bibliography

Portfolio


    Trees represent growth, change, and memory.  The health of a city is reflected in the health of its varied vegetation.  A tree shows us the change in seasons, shades us in the summer, and metaphorically roots us to our location and history.  It contains the memories of rope swings, goal posts, learning to climb, past storms, and generations of birds nests.  Old trees give us a sense of stability.  They impress us with their size and their amazing ability to withstand wind, snow, and drought.

...it is pointless trying to decide whether Zenobia is to be classified among happy cities or among the unhappy.  It makes no sense to divide cities into these two species, but rather into another two:  those that through the years and the changes continue to give their form to desires, and those in which desires either erase the city or are erased by it.
(Calvino, pg. 35)

    Planting trees in the urban environment reaffirms natural growth and connection with the plant world.  They provide beautifully canopied streets.  Trees keep cities cooler in the summer.  In the winter, evergreens can shelter buildings from northerly winds; whereas, bare deciduous trees allow the sun to shine directly into windows.  Plants and trees soften the look of hard surfaces and enliven even the most architecturally deprived streetscapes.  Plants consolidate the soil and help prevent flooding by absorbing water for their own use.  Trees highlight the sounds of rain and wind and give humans a natural sense of shelter and protection.  A city cannot have too many trees.