A perceptually based approach for assessing the contribution of street trees to ‘neighborhood character’

Abstract eng:
The Australian State of Victoria mandates through their ResCode Planning Provisions that local governments must consider the impact on ‘neighborhood character’ of environmental changes occurring in residential areas. To conform to this directive some municipalities undertake neighborhood character studies aimed at identifying environmental features most strongly associated with the character of specific neighborhood areas and those features considered to most detract from that character. The results of these types of studies are typically used to formulate planning regulations aimed at maintaining a preferred ‘neighborhood character’ and discouraging changes (e.g. new development, removal of mature street trees) that may be incompatible with that character. These studies are typically undertaken by environmental planning and design experts. In contrast to this expert based approach, this paperdescribes a perceptually based approach, and associated methods of data collection and analysis, that can be used for assessing the contribution that street trees of different types, ages, sizes and forms make to ‘neighborhood character’ as perceived by residents of selected neighborhood areas. Data produced from these methods can shed light on relationships between people’s perceptions of ‘neighborhood character’ and the contribution thaturban street treesmake to that character, the meanings theyascribe to selected street trees and the geographic and spatial locations of valued street trees in relation to co-existing contextual elements (e.g. heritage architectural stock). 1 INTRODUCTION Urban street trees provide a wide range of social, environmental and economic benefits for cities, individual neighborhoods and the residents that live in them. These include:

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