Buildings typically include consideration for the installation of landscape features (foundation plantings at a minimum) located between the structure and parcel boundaries. Trees can be planted around buildings when setbacks are adequate to accommodate separation between the building and underground services.
The centre median provides an opportunity to create a corridor for street trees.
Coastal areas consist of coastal flood-hazard zones, areas otherwise defined in environmental development permit areas or areas within 50 metres of the marine foreshore.
Whether a tree is suitable for planting in a container (assuming soil volume requirements are met).
The curb-side provides an opportunity to create a corridor for street trees.
Located within dense and highly urbanized areas, downtown streets are typically busy corridors that accommodate high vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist, and transit volumes. Streets may be quite narrow, and utilities are usually located underground. Downtown streets are characterized by a clutter of signs, posts and street furniture that encroach both on visual and physical space in town centres and urban cores.
Highways are wide, continuous transportation corridors generally separated from other land uses by wide right-of-ways and barriers. Highways accommodate high-volume, high speed traffic along a roadway with limited entrance/exit points. Utilities are usually located underground in medians or right-of-way edges. Planting space is usually less confined on highways than on other road types because there are fewer uses competing for planting space.
Within densely populated areas, disparate land uses may end up in close proximity (e.g. farming adjacent to residential areas or industrial areas adjacent to natural areas). Where physical separation of land uses is not possible, a vegetative buffer planting of suitable tree and shrub species can reduce negative impacts from one land use to another.
Major roads are high volume, 4 – 6 lane arterials characterized by an expanse of roadway (20 m or more) with sidewalks on both sides. Pedestrian and cyclist volumes are generally low except near gathering points such as bus stops. Major roads typically have long block lengths, limited access points, and no residential driveways. Tree planting can usually be accommodated within the public right-of-way.
Minor roads are generally two lane collector and local roads with sidewalks on both sides. Pedestrian and cyclist volumes are high, and parallel parking is often provided beside the curb. Minor roads have residential and commercial accesses that break up block lengths. Tree planting can usually be accommodated within the public right-of-way.
Trees that are suitable for planting under a powerline.
Parks provide diverse tree planting opportunities, particularly to complement passive recreation uses (i.e. walking, cycling etc.). Parks with active recreation components (i.e. sports fields, recreation centres etc.) also provide planting opportunities to complement those uses.
Outdoor playgrounds contain a mix of hardscape, softscape, and play surfaces that provide opportunities for tree planting.
Plazas are public open spaces that function as spaces for public events or passive recreation use. Because these sites are multi-purpose, plazas are often extensive hardscaped areas to maximize accessible pedestrian space. Plazas may also incorporate underground parking, structures, and services to support events, and occasional vehicle access. Plazas are often designed with a core open area, free of obstructions. Tree canopy can be accommodated around those dedicated use areas and can often include landscape features to moderate microclimate. Tree planting should be considered during early planning stages of plaza design to ensure adequate soil volumes and successful tree placement and health.
Infrastructure rights-of-way are continuous corridors generally separated from other land uses. Rights-of-way accommodate infrastructure such as skytrains, railways, high-voltage power lines or pipelines. Planting space may or may not be available depending on the infrastructure constraints on-site. However, where set-backs or infrastructure allows, there are opportunities to create linear greenways inclusive of tree planting.
Riparian areas consist of the Streamside Protection Enhancement Area (SPEA) next to a watercourse or as otherwise defined in environmental development permit areas.
Steep slopes refer to areas with a slope angle exceeding ~33% (18°) or within slope hazard development permit areas.
Though sometimes screened from view, surface parking lots are ubiquitous and extensive across the urbanized landscape where conditions do not require and/or permit underground parking. Design requirements for surface parking are typically driven by parking generation rates associated with permitted land uses (e.g. zoning). Tree planting can be integrated within parking lot design within landscape beds and parking lot edges (within open pits and constructed soil volumes) to meet multiple objectives.
Unique plantable areas are found in varying scales across all urban to rural landscapes, ranging from less-intentional “sites left over after planning” (SLOP) to deliberate examples of urban design (open spaces) and traffic engineering (calming enhancements). They include irregular parcels such as roundabouts, chicanes, curb bulges, paved boulevards, triangular sidewalk intersections, road ends, unnecessarily wide road rights-of-ways or otherwise unique spaces that provide opportunities to accommodate larger soil volumes and large trees.
Wildland urban interface areas consist of the zone within approximately 100 m of the wildland forest edge or as designated by a wildfire development permit area. Wildland urban interface areas often need to be landscaped with low flammability vegetation as part of new developments, which provides an opportunity for tree planting.
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