We don't have an alternative. Let's stipulate that lawyers desire free parking. The plan is short-sighted, even antisocial, on a couple of counts. First, the tree loss is not a trivial matter. The cooling shade of Atlanta's trees helps to offset the heat island effect from pavement and rooftops, which raises temperatures and exacerbates air pollution.
Greenery also helps mitigate the polluted storm runoff that plagues area streams.
And it is utterly indispensable to a city worth living in. Free parking, on the other hand, is not. It is important to have parking available for those who must drive. But for the roads to function and green space to remain, it is at least as critical to send signals that driving to pedestrian-accessible areas like downtown Atlanta should be less the rule than the exception. The former Federal Reserve building is located on one of the most accessible locations in metro Atlanta.