Urban forestry: Creating forest experiences in high-density cities

Abstract

What is it that makes trees into such a powerful presence in cities? How do we create highly sought-after, restorative forest experiences in today's dense megacities? This chapter investigates the role of trees and forests in urban areas, with an emphasis on their social, cultural, and psychological importance. It introduces the interdisciplinary field of urban forestry, which builds on many centuries of experiences with growing and managing trees in cities and which tries to overcome barriers and challenges to growing trees in very dense cities. Next, it presents several recent, successful case studies of creative urban forestry in some of the world's largest and densest cities. Finally, it discusses some promising approaches for enhancing forest, wood, and tree experiences in dense megacities.