Street trees enhance city streets both functionally and aesthetically. Trees provide shade to homes, businesses, and pedestrians. Street trees also have the potential to slow traffic speeds, especially when placed on a curb extension in line with on-street parking, and may increase pavement life by avoiding extreme heat. Aesthetically, street trees frame the street and the sidewalk as discrete public realms, enriching each with a sense of rhythm and human scale.
Requirements for tree spacing depend upon a number of key factors and should be tailored to the chosen species, standard (or desired) tree pit size, fixed property lines, setback from curb, and integration with street lights and other furniture.
Street trees may be removed to satisfy sight distance or clear zone requirements only in extreme cases, where the installation of traffic control devices has been precluded. Larger trees protect pedestrians from errant vehicles.
