Shade Parade began 5 years ago with the idea that better infrastructure (ie more sidewalks in Nashville) would increase walking (the 'parade' part) but that shade could too (ie more tree cover because Nashville is HOT!) is a critical piece of solving our walking woes.
Nashville is experiencing rapid growth and with it quick depletion of our tree canopy. This is felt most acutely in neighborhoods such as the Nations where whole blocks seem to have been torn down and rebuilt in the blink of an eye. 'Just since 2008, the tree canopy in the urban core has dropped from 28 percent to 24 percent, a loss of roughly 9,000 trees a year'. For a pedestrian, this tree canopy loss means exposure to the elements including the searing summer sun. As anyone can imagine, arriving at your destination drenched with sweat is never optimal.
'Nashville’s mayor, David Briley, announced a campaign to restore and enlarge the city’s tree canopy called Root Nashville. Root Nashville will be overseen by the city and the Cumberland River Compact, an environmental nonprofit, and funded through a combination of public, corporate, foundation and private dollars. Together with several municipal departments and other nonprofit organizations, the initiative aims to plant 500,000 trees in Davidson County by 2050'.
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REMEMBER:
DO NOT PLANT TREES UNDER OVERHEAD WIRES
OR IN THE RIGHT OF WAY
(AKA future site of sidewalks!)
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More Trees, Happier People
When cities grow, green space dies. Replanting it has been shown to lift the human spirit.
Click to read full article --- NY TIMES ARTICLE
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