History Tells Us Why We Need More Trees in Cities
By: Swati Suman
Tags: Nature, History, Climate, Life, Environment

Trees creating history

The two ancient cities, named Uruk and Anuradhapura, were subjected to different fates by the interference of trees.

Uruk was an ancient city of Sumer and later of Babylonia situated east of the Euphrates river in Iraq. During the Uruk period (4000–3200 BC), the city was also the center of urbanization and state formation. The Uruk expansion witnessed shifts from small agricultural villages to large-scale urbanized cities called “civic society,” which were ruled by good bureaucratic governance.

Consequently, Uruk's large population facilitated trade exchanges, and people also specialized in crafts to promote economic growth. Due to the heavy city-based model, Uruk in 3000 BC was considered much more densely populated than the modern-day urbanized cities.

As we all know, cities are the modern-day propellers for the destruction of nature. We replace nature with artificial sources of survival, like air-conditioners instead of natural air, using escalators instead of walking, or consuming frozen items rather than freshly prepared ones. It sets the perfect ambiance of our so-called modern-lifestyle or, precisely, the city life. However, with urbanization, the burden on the existing natural resources increases, with the possibility of them getting depleted due to overconsumption.

The city of Uruk faced a challenging situation due to overcrowding. The crowded town had to continually expand its irrigation system to supply water for its burgeoning population.

Centuries later, Anuradhapura, situated on the Malvathu river banks in Sri Lanka, witnessed a similar problem. This ancient town was expanding rapidly, and like Uruk, the city relied massively on a well-planned irrigation system to serve its growing population.

The idea that made a difference

The city of Uruk was economically flourishing, however, at the cost of nature. As the town continued expanding, the farmers started cutting down trees to make room for more crops, increase trade, and establish competing economies.

Anuradhapura was different, the city considered trees as sacred, godly and housed the pious Bodhi tree. In the quest for finding the meaning of life, Lord Buddha attained enlightenment under this tree. Despite the rapid urban expansion, the masses' religious devotion resulted in a slowdown of cutting trees, and farmers stopped destroying crops for commercial benefits. Instead, the people’s group thinking saw a shift, which led to planting additional trees in urban parks.

Earlier, Uruk had continued its expansion positively. However, its modernized urbanization roots rested on the destruction of trees. With the loss of trees, Uruk’s irrigation system got contaminated, making it impossible to filter the city’s water supply. For instance, the water which got evaporated left behind mineral deposits that were too salty for continuing the agricultural practices and were harmful to the growth of crops.

Contrarily, the city of Anuradhapura worshipped their trees. They designed their irrigation system in harmony with the surrounding forests and ultimately in peace with nature. As a result, the city expanded and grew to more than twice the population of Uruk. Even today, Anuradhapura still cares for its age-old trees planted years ago.

Trees impacting human health

Manhattan City, in New York, is one of the most densely populated regions in the globe, buzzing as the commercial, financial, and cultural center of the world.

In the 1870s, the city was left with few trees. During the summer season, destructive heat waves prevailed, and with the absence of trees, the buildings absorbed nine times more solar radiation than normal. Combined with low sanitation standards, the deadly solar heat made the city a breeding ground for disease-causing bacteria.

This comes to show that trees directly impact our living conditions. Furthermore, they also play an essential role in the mental health of a person.

Studies mentioned that city dwellers suffer from higher mental health issues than those living in rural areas — with twenty percent suffering from anxiety, forty percent with higher levels of depression, and double the amount of schizophrenia. Trees in urban landscapes can serve as our happier homes.

Research indicates that green foliage in our environment reduces stress levels and increases our attention spans. It was also found that the impact of green view results in the faster recovery of a patient when compared to the ones who are confined to the four walls of the room.

Embracing green covers

The city planners began embracing green covers, like planting trees in urban areas, at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Through this, the natural ecosystem of the city life is preserved and the living conditions of humans remain healthy.

In one of the urban plantations goals, Colonel James Oglethorpe planned Savannah, Georgia, in 1733. He organized the green cover so that every neighborhood had a two-minute park located amidst its premises. Modern cities have also adopted this model of community parks to stay connected with nature.

After the second world war, Copenhagen, Denmark's capital city, established the “Finger Plan” to develop its metropolitan area. Copenhagen was developed along five fingers centered on S-train where rail lines commuted. As per the strategy, the plan extended from the palm, symbolizing its dense urban area. In between the fingers, a greenway was built for recreational and agricultural activities.

Since 1947, the Finger Plan strategy has been successfully implemented, leading to better air quality, reduced harmful pollutants, and prevented natural disasters.

In August 2020, Singapore’s government announced a project called Sungei Buloh Park Network, a 990-acre park in the northern part of the island to conserve its wildlife. The project also aims to plant one million trees over the next ten years to improve the city-state's wildlife habitat quality and improve urban residents' living conditions. The city also has fifty-meter tall vertical gardens called supertrees, which preserve themselves and nearby surroundings by collecting the rainwater and infiltrating solar radiations.

United Nations reports state that by 2050 sixty-eight percent of the global population will live in urban areas. Hence, planning of the city with a green belt will help create sustainable development among nature and living species in general.