The real experts on neighborhood improvement are the people who live there. Rather than impose a tree plan that doesn’t meet their needs and expectations begin by asking, not telling.
Many tree planting initiatives fail because neighborhood residents weren’t behind it. Lack of support and commitment might stem from a history of poor tree care by the city, cultural barriers or fear that the project might trigger unwanted disruption to their quality of life.
Those that succeed begin with robust stakeholder engagement that mobilizes and empowers people to take a seat at the planning table – and assure their voices are heard.
Check out the next section Learn by Listening, Understand by Seeing to learn more.