In Seattle, Preserving Trees while Increasing Housing Supply is An Environment Solution
The Boulders advancement, built in 2006 in Seattle's Green Lake neighborhood, includes a fully grown tree together with a waterfall. The designer also included mature trees salvaged from other advancements - putting them strategically to add texture and cooling to the landscaping. Parker Miles Blohm/KNKX conceal caption
Climate modification shapes where and how we live. That's why NPR is dedicating a week to stories about services for structure and living on a hotter planet.
SEATTLE - Across the U.S., cities are struggling to balance the need for more housing with the need to protect and grow trees that help address the impacts of climate modification.
Trees provide cooling shade that can save lives. They take in carbon contamination from the air and decrease stormwater overflow and the threat of flooding. Yet numerous home builders view them as a barrier to rapidly and effectively putting up housing.
This stress between advancement and tree preservation is at a tipping point in Seattle, where a new state law is needing more housing density however not more trees.
One option is to discover ways to build density with trees. The Bryant Heights development in northeast Seattle is an example of this. It's an extra-large city block that features a mix of modern-day apartments, town homes, single-family homes and retail. Architects Ray and Mary Johnston worked with the designer to position 86 housing units where once there were four. They likewise conserved trees.
Architects Mary and Ray Johnston saved more than 30 trees in the Bryant Heights development they dealt with. Parker Miles Blohm/KNKX conceal caption
"The first question is never ever, how can we get rid of that tree," explains Mary Johnston, "but how can we save that tree and build something special around it.
The Boulders advancement, built in 2006 in Seattle's Green Lake neighborhood, includes a fully grown tree together with a waterfall. The designer also included mature trees salvaged from other advancements - putting them strategically to add texture and cooling to the landscaping. Parker Miles Blohm/KNKX conceal caption
Climate modification shapes where and how we live. That's why NPR is dedicating a week to stories about services for structure and living on a hotter planet.
SEATTLE - Across the U.S., cities are struggling to balance the need for more housing with the need to protect and grow trees that help address the impacts of climate modification.
Trees provide cooling shade that can save lives. They take in carbon contamination from the air and decrease stormwater overflow and the threat of flooding. Yet numerous home builders view them as a barrier to rapidly and effectively putting up housing.
This stress between advancement and tree preservation is at a tipping point in Seattle, where a new state law is needing more housing density however not more trees.
One option is to discover ways to build density with trees. The Bryant Heights development in northeast Seattle is an example of this. It's an extra-large city block that features a mix of modern-day apartments, town homes, single-family homes and retail. Architects Ray and Mary Johnston worked with the designer to position 86 housing units where once there were four. They likewise conserved trees.
Architects Mary and Ray Johnston saved more than 30 trees in the Bryant Heights development they dealt with. Parker Miles Blohm/KNKX conceal caption
"The first question is never ever, how can we get rid of that tree," explains Mary Johnston, "but how can we save that tree and build something special around it.