"In the SoMa West Central Business District, the city is on track to eliminate 764 trees-24 percent of the neighborhood's tree canopy. This is a key finding in Concrete Over Canopy: How San Francisco is Failing Its Environmental Justice Communities, a new study that digs into how the city is reducing the number of street trees in the very neighborhoods that need them most."
"That's because order 187246 bans new trees on sidewalks under 7.5 feet. The report argues that this rule, which was enacted under former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, 'is based on a bogus interpretation of ADA law. Federal and state law only requires a 3-4 foot clear path, not a 7.5-foot total width.' But San Francisco, apparently, doesn't want to plant trees that close to the street. 'This is a car-centric rule being used to de-green historic, narrow streets and replace vibrant sidewalks with concrete.'"
In the SoMa West Central Business District, the city is on track to eliminate 764 trees, 24 percent of the neighborhood's tree canopy. The city committed in 2014 to planting 50,000 new trees but has not achieved any net increase in street trees. Public Works Order 187246 bans new trees on sidewalks under 7.5 feet and fills many former tree wells with concrete. The rule relies on an interpretation of ADA law requiring wider clear paths than federal and state law mandate. The rule prioritizes car space over planting, disproportionately de-greening SoMa, the Tenderloin, Bayview, and the Mission. Eliminating parking lanes to expand tree basins would create room for trees.
Read at Streetsblog
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