The Austin City Council passed a resolution on March 21 seeking to increase street trees and green infrastructure, such as urban trails and wildlife habitats, in future public land development projects. 

The resolution, sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool, passed unanimously and allows the city manager to analyze current obstacles to green infrastructure and determine the best approach to adding more street trees in Austin.  

“Street trees can help mitigate the urban heat island effect, create shade, dampen noise pollution, contribute to green stormwater management and calm motor vehicle traffic speeds,” said Jack Flagler, marketing supervisor for the Transportation and Public Works Department, in an email statement. 

The resolution also directs the city manager to establish rules for future right-of-way projects developed in Austin in hopes of making them more sustainable. Flagler said right-of-way projects are infrastructure projects built on publicly-owned land that includes streets, sidewalks and the area behind the curb. 

Adam Greenfield, director of advocacy for Safe Streets Austin, said the impact of street trees provide more benefits than just shade, including physical protection from vehicles and mitigating the effects of climate change.

“We live in a very fragmented urban environment,” Greenfield said. “We just have to be careful that we integrate trees in a way that doesn’t prohibit us, also re-stitching our city back together again.” 

Environmental engineering junior Andrew Nguyen said he looks forward to the implementation of street trees, which provide much-needed shade when he bikes through Austin. Nguyen grew up in Houston, and biking mostly in concrete spaces made the heat unbearable, he said. 

“By comparison (in) Austin, you can find bike paths that are covered in trees or just have a lot of shade with greenery,” Nguyen said. “That makes biking really, really fun. The weather is completely bearable.”