SAT-A09: Overstory, Understory: Shaping Urban Forests to Sustain Communities in Philadelphia and Cambridge

Saturday, November 12, 2022

11:00am – 12:15pm PT

Location: Moscone Center, Room 303

1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AICP, ISA, FL, NY/HSW

Lead Speaker(s)

Eric F. Kramer, FASLA

Principal
Reed Hilderbrand
Lexington, Massachusetts

Speaker(s)

Alexa Bosse, AIA

Principal
Hinge Collective
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sahar Coston-Hardy, Affil. ASLA

Photographer
Sahar Coston-Hardy Photography
Abington, Pennsylvania

Following urban forest plans for Cambridge, Massachusetts and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this conversation takes up environmental justice, policy innovation, urban design, and management. Special emphasis falls on how people perceive trees—leveraging data analysis and innovative engagement to shape a new relationship between the city, its people, and its trees.

Learning Outcomes:

Understand urban forest pathologies that are common and likely occurring in your community too
Recognize urban forest issues and interests that are likely unique to your community, and therefore require novel responses
Develop tools that efficiently provide comprehensive data on urban forest condition and risk, without using your entire budget on inventory
Gather new strategies for engaging communities in discussions about the perception of trees in the urban environment, and understand how to use those to create room for change