How Street Trees and Innovative Solutions Enhance Our City
Auckland Council is on a mission to create a greener and more sustainable city, with street trees playing a central role in this vision.
As Auckland grows, street trees become even more valuable, offering benefits that go beyond aesthetics. They improve our environment and enhance community wellbeing. With the adoption of innovative solutions like structural soil tree pits – a technique being trialled in urban Auckland – Auckland is not only increasing tree numbers but also helping to ensure they thrive.
Street trees are essential to urban life, offering many benefits. By capturing carbon, filtering pollutants and releasing oxygen, they help clean Auckland’s air, contributing to a healthier environment. Trees also provide shade, cooling streets and buildings, which mitigates the urban heat that builds up in densely populated areas. This cooling effect creates more comfortable temperatures in spaces, especially valuable during the warmer months.
Trees are also effective at managing stormwater, their canopy intercepts and slows down rainfall and the roots break up the soils and absorb and slow down runoff, helping to prevent flooding and pollution in our waterways. Given the city’s frequent, and sometimes heavy, rainfall, this function is crucial, as it helps reduce pressure on stormwater systems, protects our waterways and improves water quality.
Beyond their environmental benefits, street trees support community wellbeing. Tree-lined streets encourage walking, cycling and outdoor activity, promoting a more active lifestyle and creating pleasant urban environments.
To help street trees thrive in urban spaces, Auckland Council is trialling structural soil tree pits along the new linear park on Victoria Street. This park forms part of a 'Green Link' connecting Albert Park to Victoria Park, a concept originally identified in the Public Life Survey of Auckland in 2010. The vision for this corridor is to create a tree-lined urban oasis that enhances connectivity and provides an inviting space for residents and visitors alike. Structural soil tree pits are designed to provide more space for tree roots and gaseous exchange, promoting healthier, longer-lasting trees. Traditional tree pits can be too restrictive, causing tree health issues and even pavement damage.
Structural soil tree pits use engineered soils, combining crushed rock with soil and organic materials to create a stable but porous medium that supports root growth while providing structural support for above ground surfaces. They are trafficable, meaning they can be used under footpaths, vehicle crossings and carpark spaces, making them a flexible and adaptable option for urban spaces. This innovation helps trees grow stronger and larger, even in challenging urban environments.
They also provide stormwater management benefits, as their engineered soils can retain water and reduce runoff. For Auckland’s climate, this approach supports tree health while also reducing pressure on stormwater systems.
Through the delivery of concepts like structural soil tree pits, Auckland Council is investing in a greener, more resilient city. These solutions help ensure that street trees can thrive in challenging urban environments, offering long-term environmental and social benefits. As this approach expands, Auckland will become greener and more sustainable, paving the way for a healthier future for all.
Desley Simpson, Deputy Mayor of Auckland www.desleysimpson.co.nz