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Division Council Awards, Awards Nomination

Sustainable Communities Division

Division Contact: Angela Cleveland, AICP, angelavincent74@gmail.com, 603-305-5385

Award Category: Division Contribution to the Profession

Name of the Division Project: Green Streets Lawrence: A Health Impact Assessment of the Lawrence Green Streets

Program

In December 2015, a group of planners from the APA Sustainable Communities Division, the APA Massachusetts

Sustainable Development Committee, and public health professionals (aka The Team) partnered with Groundwork

Lawrence (GWL) on a volunteer service project to measure the economic, social and environmental impacts of GWL’s

Green Streets Program – a 3-year tree planting program with a goal of installing 2,500 trees throughout the City. The

Team used a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) framework to analyze the benefits of street tree planting in two

neighborhoods in the City of Lawrence, a Gateway City in Massachusetts which is almost 80% Hispanic. The focus of the

Green Streets program is energy efficiency but street trees also play an important role in stormwater management, air

quality, climate resiliency and aesthetics in neighborhoods. From a public health and safety perspective, street trees also

impact mental health, physical activity, social interaction, and traffic within these neighborhoods. This HIA process is now

a tool GWL uses to collaborate with residents to increase the urban tree canopy cover in Lawrence. The project

included public engagement and extensive research and analysis to develop a set of deliverables to GWL that included a

“Benefits of Street Trees in Lawrence” educational flyer, street tree species selection table based on environmental

remediation attributes, tree nutrition labels, and a project tagline (Good for Lawrence, Great for You) and infographic. These

resources were used to help residents understand the community benefits of planting trees, and how specific tree species

improved community environmental and health issues such as flooding and asthma. The HIA report and resources

developed were designed as tools to be replicated and tailored for use by any community looking to develop a healthy

urban tree canopy and promote more sustainable approaches to neighborhood development.

The HIA process uncovered local neighborhood issues/concerns such as flooding, obesity, crime, asthma and cancer.

Through community workshops, in-depth research and analysis, as well as partnerships with state and local health officials,

the Team identified specific priority impact areas in Lawrence (environmental, social cohesion, mental health and housing).

Using these four themes, the Team developed realistic, implementable recommendations and tools that identified the

social, economic and environmental linkages between street trees and these specific community issues and how street

trees can help combat these issues on multiple fronts. This project, through both the process and the deliverables,

provides additional benefits that GWL can communicate to residents and city officials to support the planting of more

street trees.

The Team believes this project embodies a replicable example of a Division’s Contribution to the Planning Profession and

meets the following award criteria:

Outstanding Skill-based or Knowledge-Based Professional Content

The Team used this project to find ways to embrace new skills that could be used as a resource and teaching opportunity

for planners. In fact, it was the root of the discussion at the first Meet and Greet that started this project. Planners were

looking to volunteer their time to use and build their skills in a topic area that was important to sustainable community

planning. The consensus was: conduct a Health Impact Assessment that would contribute to sustainable community

planning in an underserved community, but that could also be used as a resource by all planners and easily replicated. We

began by researching and evaluating the different techniques for conducting an HIA and who we should partner with to be

successful. Engaging with public health officials was one of the strongest tools and partnerships we forged in getting

started with this process.

From the style of our community outreach, to the tools we used to collaborate as a team, the resources we consulted

and created, and the layout of the final report, the Team instilled new or adapted approaches to make this project a fun,

but relevant and productive, learning opportunity. To most planners, street trees aren’t a part of everyday conversation,

but we recognize that they play an important role in energy, stormwater management, air quality, climate resiliency and

aesthetics in neighborhoods. What we uncovered through this process was the far-reaching impacts of trees on mental

health, physical activity, social interaction, and even crime and traffic within neighborhoods. Our team to conducted in-

depth research (which was referenced throughout the report) that took a deep dive into subjects that planners don’t

normally dabble in – crime, adaptation/resiliency, tree species, planting specifications, and mental health. We worked with

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GWL and health professionals to collect, assess, and integrate the research into thoughtful discussion amongst our team

members and community members to better understand how street trees in urban areas can have a diverse array of

impacts in the daily life of a resident. To make it easy for planners to reference and use in the future, we also summarized

all research in a comprehensive, but readable table in the Appendix that is listed by priority impact areas and provides

direct links to the full reports to make it easier for people to dive deeper into specific areas of research concerning street

trees and their social, environmental and economic impacts.

Embracing social equity was also something we expanded planners’ knowledge of in this project. We made a specific

commitment to weave social equity into all components of this project by bringing the project and our research to the

people - attending events where we could integrate into existing community workshops in the neighborhoods and engage

with residents where they live, work and play. For example, we held one workshop during a scheduled Saturday morning

neighborhood rally and included interactive ‘stations’ that allowed community members to tell us what trees meant to

them and what their health concerns were. We also created a tagline and infographic to communicate the project in a

fun and appealing way. All of the deliverables were translated into Spanish so they were accessible and engaging for all.

What sets this project apart from a traditional HIA is the combination of embracing new community engagement

strategies, identifying new partners (like public health officials), implementing new research techniques and applications,

and utilizing new tools such as i-Tree to develop a set of innovative and replicable resources to assist GWL in meeting

their Green Streets Program goals. Those resources included a “Benefits of Street Trees in Lawrence” educational flyer,

street tree species selection based on environmental remediation attributes, tree nutrition labels, and a tree infographic.

These resources were created to help residents understand the environmental, social and economic benefits and even

tailor specific tree species selection to community environmental and health issues.

Measurable Visibility to the Profession

In addition to collaborating with health professionals who learned more about what planners do, we engaged a number of

other stakeholders to promote the results of this work. Because of our partnership with GWL, we tapped the entire

Groundwork USA network, who is now investigating this process as a way to engage other communities in tree-planting.

We also promoted this through a variety of statewide and national networks, including: the Plan4Health website, the

Massachusetts Association of Planning Directors annual conference, Southern New England APA Conference,

international conferences on stormwater management, a sustainability professionals podcast, the National APA Podcast

series, and as part of the national APA-SCD webinar series. We are currently exploring the possibility of creating a short

film that will teach others about the process and encourage them to conduct Health Impact Assessments in their own

community. This will raise exposure and visibility of the project and the profession even more!

E. Cross Divisional or Chapter Efforts

As mentioned in the introduction and skill-based section, this project was a joint APA-MA Chapter and APA Sustainable

Communities Division project. The Massachusetts Sustainability Champion invited the APA-MA Members and APA

Sustainable Communities Division members to a Meet and Greet to network and discuss what people would like to do to

collaborate. The collaboration did not end when the project was complete though! (see “Green Streets Lawrence HIA

Promotion” PDF in submittal package).

Capacity for Other Divisions to Replicate the Best Practice

A primary goal of this project was to ensure that it was transferable and replicable. Health benefits and impacts are part

of any project and effect all populations. The HIA process was fully documented in the final report and can serve as a road

map for any Division, Chapter, community or organization to use as a template. For example, the Transportation Division

could use our methodology to measure the impact of new bus shelter projects or the Urban Design and Preservation

Division can embrace this process to determine the potential economic, social and environmental impacts of a new urban

park. The recommendations and deliverables produced from this HIA process are fully transferrable and were developed

to be used by anyone that is looking to find ways to build consensus and support for incorporating more green

infrastructure elements into the built environment. All deliverables are available upon request in their original, modifiable

format (i.e., Word, Excel, Abode Illustrator, etc.). The entire report, coupled with the recommendations and deliverables,

helps to increase public awareness for how street trees can improve the sustainability and resiliency of neighborhoods

and the people who live in them.

Green Streets Lawrence HIA Publications/Promotion Since the release of the Green Streets Lawrence Health Impact Assessment Report in March of 2017, this report has received national attention and been utilized in numerous ways to benefit planners, projects, research professionals, cities and towns and health professionals, including but not limited to: o the full report being hosted on the APA Sustainable Communities Division (APA SCD) website

(https://apascd.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/green-streets-a-health-impact-assessment-of-the-

lawrence-green-streets-program/);

o the report is posted on APA’s Plan4Health project website: http://plan4health.us/green-streets-a-

health-impact-assessment-of-the-lawrence-green-streets-program/;

o The report was featured in an APA Podcast in August of this year:

https://www.planning.org/multimedia/podcasts/. In the few months since it was originally recorded,

this podcast has been downloaded over 2000 times by planners and individuals across the country.

o In August, more than 270 planners from across the country tuned in to an APA Sustainable

Communities Division live webinar hear about this Green Streets HIA process and learn about the tools

and resources that they could use to promote increased tree canopy cover in their projects, towns and

cities (APA SCD Webinar #13: https://apascd.wordpress.com/webinar-archives/ - August 23, 2017).

Feedback from the webinar was very positive: “Excellent information on the benefits of a tree program

and how to complete a HIA and to add green to your communities”. “liked the community engagement,

appealing and informative graphics, and the care with which they chose trees for sites using a number

of very practical characteristics. I also liked the tie-in of additional trees to the well-being, health,

economic benefits of the neighborhoods in Lawrence. There needs to be more trees in cities, and linking

their many benefits to health and well-being is a wonderful approach to build local support.” – webinar

attendee quotes from APA SCD webinar reviews;

o The lead authors of the study have also presented the report to planning audiences throughout

Massachusetts and New England at the 2017 MA Smart Growth Conference, the 2017 MAPD

Conference, as well as SNEAPA Conference.

results of this report have been used in other local projects in Massachusetts to support additional street tree planting as referenced in a recent article published in Building Design and Construction Magazine: https://www.bdcnetwork.com/green-builders-can-use-%E2%80%98big-data%E2%80%99-make-design-decisions (see “Fill the Gaps” and “Specifics are Key”).

Additional public outreach for this project included social media posts on Linked In:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6256450310290571264 and Facebook:

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fstitcher.com%2FService%2FFacebookShow.php%3Fei

d%3D51170776&h=ATMPx6Rl5YOm0HpZIs6MvWeJ_WoW3fLjHpOc8Agw7_t326UxO5vot3-

VtUS5C3jizhKY0aHEa444MrqjdoB_hiTxok2iwl8yVX2yAnnbPQWGRHVOtLo&s=1&enc=AZNdnE_gc7HHU

DHry8rcvAlT9ipf_jrOsD5MVeM1Qe3sjD4Tu4BPu16eZO8urt7J5MUyXUI0yIRzyL0U1wBpHv0n ;

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fapascd.wordpress.com%2F2017%2F04%2F07%2Fgre

en-streets-a-health-impact-assessment-of-the-lawrence-green-streets-

program%2F&h=ATOWpcsKE_K57YwU1oYxlW_AuC6nU7mfTadfKcMc7f6QhUWQ9Nln9262vvtpo2f6hpw

jK6XmTglxosIILIfafhgza_lhN8oV4D2O5mniZzKW1fJuQ4I&s=1&enc=AZNGH7S8V4WTIqi55SrWzg76ht7JA

Vo5pdW3rAkRw-qE-5OVR-RbG2Nv8aWGKV04_4dOm2KGbjxJiQBUGObPrghm.

Arlington Community Street Tree Rendering:

South Common Community Street Tree Rendering:

Benefits of Street Trees Graphic in Report:

Project Logo and Tagline:

HIA Team Meeting - Pathway Exercise:

Public Outreach/Community Feedback Event:

Street Tree Selector Tool:

Street Tree Nutrition Label:

Street Tree Wordle (from results of Community Feedback Events):

Encourages outdoor activity

Beauty and sense of place

Improves air quality and reduces asthma rates

Reduces cardiovascular and respiratory illnessPrevents �ooding and

protects homes.

Improves mental health and reduces stress

Reduce heating and cooling costs

Reduces ambient temperature Bu�ers noise

and wind

Slow tra�c and improve safety

Attracts wildlife and birds

GREEN STREETSL A W R E N C E · M A S S A C H U S E T T S

GOOD FOR LAWRENCE, GREAT FOR YOU!

1. ECONOMIC: Increased property value: realtor estimates of tree-lined streets vs. comparable non tree-lined streets have shown anywhere between 5-18% increase in home/business value. People prefer tree-lined streets! Reduced Energy Costs: streets and parking lots can increase local temperatures which can significantly impact energy costs to homeowners and consumers. The shade provided from street trees can reduce energy bills for a household by as much as 10%. Return on Investment: for a planting cost of $250-600, a single street tree returns over $90,000 of direct benefits in the lifetime of the tree. Extended pavement life: the shade of street trees reduces daily heating and cooling of asphalt and can extend the life of pavement up to 60% longer. This translates into a significant cost reduction for maintaining street systems. Energy: Biomass from trees is a potential source of renewable energy for Municipalities. 2. ENVIRONMENTAL: Grey Infrastructure to Green Infrastructure: The leaves, branches and trunks of street trees (green infrastructure) can capture up to 30% of a typical rainfall event through absorption and evaporation. Tree root systems can absorb up to another 30%, resulting in reduced stormwater runoff and potential flooding. This also results in less man-made drainage infrastructure (catch basins, piping, detention ponds). Climate Change Mitigation: leaves absorb harmful pollutants like carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM) such as dirt, dust and soot. Street trees absorb nine times more pollutants than more distant trees, converting those harmful gasses back into oxygen and other useful and natural gasses. Air Quality: shading provided by trees can reduce local temperatures by up to 15°F, which helps reduce the creation of ground-level ozone – a major contributor to smog & respiratory problems in kids &adults. Habitat: street trees provide a canopy, root structure and setting for important insect &bacterial life below the surface. Above the surface, they provide biomass, nutrients and habitat for birds &other wildlife. 3. SOCIAL: Public Safety: street trees help reduce solar glare and define the roadside edge and their canopy cover provides shading and separation from the road that can help protect pedestrians, guide motorists movements and help them better assess their speed. These attributes lead many motorists to exercise greater caution, resulting in reduced speeds (by as much as 15mph) as well as fewer accidents on streets lined with trees. Public Health: trees reduce UV exposure for pedestrians and have a natural calming effect which can help reduce “road rage”, local crime and vandalism, further improving the safety of streets and neighborhoods. Visual access to trees has also been shown to have a rehabilitating impact on our recovery from illness. Noise Reduction: slower vehicle speeds as a result of street trees can reduce engine and tire noise. Their leafy vegetation can also absorb a great deal of noise in neighborhoods. Aesthetics: trees provide a general softening of the urban environment and also provide a screen for utility poles, light poles, on-street and off-street parking and other features that create visual pollution. The aesthetics of tree lined streets and green spaces have been shown to have positive psychological benefits including lower rates of stress, blood pressure and mental illness.

Facts and Figures from the USDA Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/ucf/

Have questions, comments or want more information? Visit the Green Streets Blog: https://hiagreenstreets.wordpress.com/

Root Structure and soils provide addition storm water management and subsurface habitat and nutrients for important bacteria and organisms.

Increase in Property Values

Facts and Figures:

“There are about 60– to 200-million spaces along our city streets where trees could be planted. This translates to the potential to

absorb 33 million more tons of CO2 every year, and saving $4 billion in energy costs.” —National Wildlife Federation

“The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day. Trees

properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent and can save 20–50 percent in energy used for heating.” —USDA Forest Service

“Healthy, mature trees add an average of 10 percent to a property’s value.” —USDA Forest Service

“One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18

people.” —U.S. Department of Agriculture

“Trees can be a stimulus to economic development, attracting new business and tourism. Commercial retail areas are more attractive to

shoppers, apartments rent more quickly, tenants stay longer, and space in a wooded setting is more valuable to sell or rent.” —The Arbor Day Foundation

“In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as

indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension.” —Dr. Roger S. Ulrich Texas A&M University

Habitat and nutrients for birds and other wildlife

Reduced Urban Heat Island Effect

Absorption of harmful pollutants (natural filters)

Reduction in storm water runoff and flooding

Biomass-potential energy source

Extended pavement life from shading

Decreased Energy demands for adjacent buildings

Define street edge and protect pedestrians

Reduce solar glare for drivers

Provides context and aids drivers in better assessing their speed (traffic calming)

Rehabilitation and stress relieving attributes

Reduced UV exposure for pedestrians

Visual screening for large expanses of pavement and

utilities

Noise absorption/buffering