• Embracing the Third Evolution — By embedding urban forestry into every sector, behavioral scientists can make tree planting a cornerstone of modern urban design, redefining greenery as essential rather than optional.
• Placemaking Over Space-Taking — Choice architecture positions urban forestry as a cornerstone of vibrant, multifunctional spaces, showcasing its potential to enhance housing, transit, and community needs rather than compete with them.
• Dismantling Green Gentrification — By fostering community stewardship and collective action, street trees can become a tool for creating equitable green spaces that empower underserved neighborhoods without driving displacement.
• Uprooting Misconceptions — Behavioral science can counter biases through myth-busting campaigns and experiential learning, inspiring public trust and proving that street trees can thrive even in the most challenging of urban environments.

There is already a big push to integrate tree planting further into the fabric of city planning—a movement that has been dubbed the third evolution of urban forestry.⁶

While the “first evolution” in the early 20th century focused on individual tree care and the “second evolution” in the mid-20th century expanded to comprehensive ecosystem management, the “third evolution” has widened the scope even further so that urban forestry is incorporated into all sectors—whether that be housing, transportation, labor, public health, or energy.⁶ This all-hands-on-deck approach guarantees that urban forestry is no longer put on the back burner but is, instead, considered an essential component across all infrastructural efforts.

By getting everyone involved, this third wave transforms tree planting into a social norm—not just as a “nice to have,” but a firm expectation held by citizens and city officials alike. Take, for instance, the 3+30+300 rule, which requires that residents should always be able to spot three trees from their home, have 30% of their neighborhood covered by a canopy, and live 300 meters away from a green space.⁷ Proposed by the NBSI’s co-director Cecil Konijnendijk in 2021, the 3+30+300 rule has been a major step in setting measurable guidelines for cities around the world to ensure they meet nature access thresholds.^8,9 Thanks to defaults such as these, urban planners are pressed to incorporate enough greenery into every new project from the get-go rather than incorporating it later as an afterthought.

With its interdisciplinary approach, the third evolution of urban forestry creates fertile ground for behavioral science to address remaining challenges and refine solutions for maximum impact. In the following sections, we’ll discuss opportunities to leverage behavioral insights to ensure urban forestry initiatives are as equitable, effective, and sustainable as possible.

Convincing policymakers to allocate sufficient resources to plant and upkeep street trees can be an uphill battle, especially when pressing concerns like public transportation or subsidized housing take center stage.⁴ Rather than being recognized as a strategic asset that directly addresses these thorny problems—such as by reducing car dependency or addressing neighborhood blight—the overwhelming advantages of urban forestry remain invisible and, therefore, underallocated. Even when green spaces are created, ensuring proper maintenance and expert care poses an additional ongoing cost that many municipalities are hesitant to bear. Let’s review a couple of cognitive biases that may be dissuading stakeholders from adequately investing money, time, and space into such initiatives.

Mental Accounting

Money doesn’t just grow on trees—but trees can sure save cities money.¹⁰ Arguably, the most attractive advantage of urban forestry as a component of green infrastructure is its return on investment, providing up to $7.00 in benefits for every $1.00 invested.¹⁰ These financial savings are spread across the board, with air conditioning costs being reduced by up to 30%, heating costs lowered by between 20 and 50%, and even shoppers in areas with robust canopies spending 9 to 12% more.^{10, 11} With such a large net yield, it’s hard not to ask ourselves, why aren’t more cities scrambling to plant trees?

Unfortunately, this immense economic advantage may be masked by mental accounting, where we tend to allocate our spending more based on subjective value instead of objective outcomes. It’s no wonder this bias takes hold, with the upfront costs of urban forestry being nothing to sneeze at. Each street tree can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a city to plant, with New York City’s Parks Department revealing that the average cost per tree in 2024 was a whopping $3,300.^12,13 On top of this hefty down payment, street trees take around twenty years to reach their full maturity—and without proper upkeep, are only destined to survive that long, too.¹⁴ Upon an initial glance, it is easy to be emotionally anchored by such a steep price, making it harder to look up and appreciate the bigger savings over time that can feel somewhat intangible. Plus, with immediate costs constantly weighing down budgets, the delayed gratification of this give-and-take may simply not feel worth it.

The Framing Effect

Budget constraints are not the only obstacle; space—or rather, a lack thereof—is another critical challenge. With 50% of forcibly displaced people worldwide now residing in urban areas,¹⁵ cities often feel pressured to prioritize housing needs over green initiatives. Faced with limited land, the idea of dedicating an empty lot to a grove of trees may seem impractical when it could accommodate housing for hundreds of residents instead. 

The problem here isn’t choosing between dedicating space to humans or trees. The problem is that this is being framed as a “choice” in the first place. When sectors such as housing and urban forestry are presented as distinct fields, it can be difficult not to draw mental boundaries and assume these initiatives are mutually exclusive. However, by embracing the integrative approach posited by the third evolution, we can reframe this decision into an opportunity for collaboration. Green spaces can enhance housing developments by improving air quality, reducing urban heat, and boosting property values, while thoughtfully designed housing projects can create opportunities for tree planting and community greening initiatives. The real challenge, then, is not choosing between trees and housing but finding innovative ways to integrate greenery into urban landscapes, creating habitats that are sustainable for both people and plants alike.

To make investing money, time, and space into urban forestry seem worth it, street trees need to be integrated into city projects from the get-go. One innovative angle that is already gaining traction in the field—and with ample opportunity to be elevated by choice architecture—is that of placemaking.

Central to this concept is distinguishing between space, the physical parameters that a location assumes, and a place, the personal or cultural identity that a location assumes.¹⁶ As follows, placemaking means transforming a space into a place, or in other words, reimagining geographic centers as symbolic centers of neighborhoods. Where placemaking becomes pivotal in the urban planning process is through adding value—both by elevating the social importance for residents and generating profits that can be reinvested in maintaining that space. And what better way is there to bring a space to life than through adding life to that space itself—that is, through urban forestry? After all, across most cultures, trees have long represented growth and connection, offering a sense of identity and belonging to communities.¹⁷ With the symbolic layer added by thriving greenery, we don’t just feel like we’re in a mere space, but instead, in a true place.

We can fully optimize how urban forestry can achieve placemaking through a choice architecture lens, deliberately crafting decision-making environments by subtly shaping how options are presented. Let’s explore what this could look like by imagining a bus stop. Without any canopy adding a layer of life and color, this bus stop is simply a space—a bench for commuters to anxiously wait at, probably glancing down at their phones or even growing impatient and ditching public transportation altogether. Meanwhile, immersed in the sound of leaves rustling, commuters may be inclined to look up and take in the scenery, settle into their spot, chat with their neighbor, and maybe even look forward to their commute—shaping this bus stop into a place.¹⁸

Through this anecdote, we can better grasp how, by simply adding street trees to a bus stop’s design, urban planners can craft a community hub that increases residents' chances of riding public transportation, thereby decreasing traffic congestion and increasing marginal profits, all while improving neighborhood health. In this way, placemaking through choice architecture positions urban forestry as an essential element that breathes life into projects across all sectors.

Beyond the realm of public transportation, here are some other opportunities for cross-disciplinary design:

• Affordable housing: Integrating greenery into housing developments doesn’t just enrich the surroundings—it fosters a sense of home, encouraging residents to feel connected to their environment and ensuring these spaces are fully embraced by the community.¹⁹
• Healthcare: The presence of trees can bolster immune systems, speed up recovery times for hospital patients, and create more meaningful, hopeful environments—all while helping to alleviate the strain on healthcare systems by reducing the length of hospital stays.^{20, 21} 
• Labor: A view of trees from the workplace isn’t just a luxury—it’s a productivity booster. Research shows that greenery outside office windows reduces sick days, enhances focus, and fosters a sense of calm, allowing employees to work more effectively.²²

In cities, green follows green—with wealthier neighborhoods more likely to feature tree-lined boulevards and vibrant parks, leaving underserved areas without access to their immense benefits. Larger lots and wider streets in affluent areas provide more space for planting, while well-resourced communities can better manage tree upkeep through organized, well-funded groups. In contrast, disadvantaged neighborhoods often lack the resources for maintenance, especially as tight municipal budgets shift this responsibility to local residents.²³ As a result, the environmental advantages of urban forestry disproportionately benefit already privileged areas, perpetuating pre-existing social inequities.

Ironically, efforts to address this imbalance by planting city trees in underserved neighborhoods often end up deepening disparities. This phenomenon has been appropriately named green gentrification, where introducing greenery to communities attracts high-income buyers, driving up market value and displacing those already living there.²⁴ Of course, the intention behind adding urban trees to lower-income communities is usually well-meaning. However, with the added luxury of beautiful canopies covering streets or flourishing local gardens, many landlords will merely view this as a ripe opportunity to jack up the prices, widening economic and social gaps in the process.

One famous example of green gentrification is New York City’s High Line—which once was an elevated railway on Manhattan’s West Side that was abandoned for decades and destined for demolition. However, after noticing the wild grasses, shrubs, and flowers that were already taking over the structure, community organizations were established to transform the High Line into a 1.5-mile nature walkway flourishing with over 150,000 plants and free for everyone to enjoy.²⁵ However, it seems as though local residents may be paying the price instead, as a recent study estimated that homes closest to the High Line have experienced a 35.3% increase in value.²⁶ 

This cycle of green gentrification can give rise to a behavioral paradox where urban tree planting, intended to enhance the well-being of long-time residents, becomes a source of tension and resistance within the localities it aims to support. For many established community members, loss aversion plays a significant role in shaping their reaction to such changes. Rather than viewing urban trees as a net benefit, they may focus on the potential negatives, such as rising property values, the threat of displacement, or shifts in the cultural and social fabric of their neighborhood. This fear of losing affordability, familiarity, and especially control can foster a Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) mentality, where any form of neighborhood improvements—even well-meaning efforts like urban forestry—feels like a precursor to unwelcome change. As a result, the promise of greener streets can clash with the deeply rooted concerns of residents, creating a complex tension between progress and preservation.

For urban forestry to thrive in all communities, it’s essential to invest in initiatives that directly involve and empower local residents. These projects not only ensure the longevity and success of urban forests but also help combat the risks of green gentrification, which can inadvertently displace the very communities these green spaces are meant to serve. By involving residents in the planning, planting, and ongoing care of urban trees, these efforts tap into the endowment effect: the cognitive tendency to value something more when we feel ownership over it. When communities are responsible for designing and maintaining their own green spaces, they are more likely to protect and sustain them, fostering long-term stewardship.

Community-led urban forestry also enables residents to shape green spaces in ways that preserve their neighborhood’s unique character and cultural identity. This ensures that these spaces complement the community’s existing social fabric rather than disrupting it. By integrating local knowledge and priorities into green infrastructure projects, urban forests can become assets that reflect the history and values of the people who live there. This approach not only makes urban forestry more inclusive and equitable but also creates spaces that feel deeply meaningful and rooted in the community’s identity, reducing the risk of displacement while fostering pride and connection.

One initiative leading the way on this front is the Blight Revitalization Initiative for Green, Healthy Towns (BRIGHT) program, launched by the Environmental Law Institute, to help lower-income neighborhoods introduce green spaces with longevity in mind.²⁷ In particular, BRIGHT released a comprehensive guide to, in their own words, “help communities develop and execute corridor projects in their own neighborhoods to produce positive health, ecological, and economic outcomes.”²⁸ Rather than offloading such tasks to those who are disconnected from neighborhoods, programs like BRIGHT put neighbors in the driver's seat. After all, who knows what greening efforts an area needs better than local leaders? With an all-hands-on-deck approach, green efforts can help tighten communities—rather than disintegrating them.

The success of programs like BRIGHT underscores the potential of community-led urban forestry to transform neighborhoods, but they are just one piece of a larger movement. Across North America, other initiatives are applying behavioral principles such as ownership, responsibility, and collective action to make greening efforts more equitable and effective. Here are three diverse examples that demonstrate how community leadership can shape impactful urban forestry projects:

• Adopt-a-Tree Programs: In Los Angeles, California, City Plants provides free shade trees while assisting residents in navigating the permitting, planting, and upkeep process for trees across all neighborhood scales—from streets and yards to schools, businesses, and housing. By fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility, the program motivates communities to care for their greenery, ensuring these trees thrive and provide lasting environmental, economic, and social benefits.
• Community Tree Planting Events: TreeFolks organizes planting events in underserved areas in Austin, Texas, where residents select native species—following the “right tree, right place” principle—and commit to regular care such as watering. By framing the initiative as a “neighborwood” project and removing barriers like pre-registration, these events cultivate community investment and create sustainable green spaces that reflect neighborhood identities.
• Culturally Relevant Urban Forestry: Toronto’s Ravine Strategy supports initiatives like the Young Ravine Leaders Program, which empowers youth from underrepresented groups to engage in stewardship of the city’s network of ravines. By offering free training on ravine ecosystems, community involvement, and career development in arboriculture and urban forestry, the program not only enhances ecological health but also fosters inclusion, providing meaningful opportunities for Indigenous peoples and minority groups to connect with and sustain these vital green spaces.

While these programs highlight the transformative potential of community-led initiatives, it’s important to recognize their reliance on resources such as stipends and grants to support resident involvement. Ensuring equitable participation requires sustained funding, creative partnerships, and opportunities for co-design, where residents actively shape and influence projects to reflect their unique needs and priorities, making these efforts truly accessible to all.

Convincing city officials and community members that investing in planting trees is worth it is only the first step. The next challenge lies in convincing stakeholders that taking care of vibrant urban forests is not only possible but sustainable.

From an initial glance, concrete jungles might not seem like the most luscious environments for city trees to flourish. A number of factors—including pollutant exposure, poor soil quality, escalating temperatures, and insufficient space for root or crown formation—have always posed a challenge for urban foresters. The roadside location of street trees proves to be especially treacherous, with a mortality rate four times higher than that of trees in rural conditions and an average lifespan of less than 20 years.¹⁴ 

However, these pain points may not be as strong as they seem. With the rise of breakthrough technologies, alongside increasing knowledge of how to select and pair different species to specific urban conditions, urban foresters are now equipped with innovative tools to overcome traditional barriers.^{29, 30} For instance, advancements in soil engineering, irrigation systems, and resilient plant genetics have made it possible to create optimal growing environments even in the most inhospitable locations. In fact, with the right preparation—such as amending soil quality, implementing smart water management systems, and choosing species adapted to local stressors—trees and plants can thrive almost anywhere, from arid deserts to dense urban centers. 

Although urban foresters are enthusiastic about the expanding possibilities, the general public may not be as well informed. It is commonly assumed that urban environments are unsuitable for long-term conservation due to the limited amount of remnant habitat and the inevitability of extinction debt—not to mention the overwhelming impacts of human activity.³¹ Many of these misconceptions are likely rooted in the availability heuristic, our cognitive tendency to rely on information that comes quickly to mind rather than what is based on the facts. This bias can cause people to disproportionately focus on vivid instances of trees struggling to survive on cracked sidewalks or leaves wilting under the scorching heat of reflective glass buildings, reinforcing the false belief that conservation efforts in cities are futile despite growing evidence to the contrary.

For instance, policymakers may hesitate to fund a project planting street trees along a busy boulevard in Phoenix, Arizona, assuming that the harsh desert climate would not be suitable for such vegetation. However, Arizona is already home to 47.2 million urban trees, a testament to the ability of urban forestry to thrive even in challenging conditions.³¹ In fact, the extreme sun intensity and high temperatures make planting trees in places like Phoenix even more critical compared to cooler cities. However, thanks to the availability heuristic, city officials may focus more on stereotypes surrounding barren desert landscapes and failed planting attempts than on the evidence of thriving city trees. This hypothetical scenario demonstrates that addressing specific misconceptions can help decision-makers challenge preconceptions, unlocking the transformative potential of urban forestry and paving the way for innovative solutions to thrive in even the most demanding of environments.

While the challenges surrounding urban forestry in harsh environments may seem insurmountable, innovative awareness campaigns rooted in behavioral science can reshape public perception and build support for these initiatives. By addressing cognitive biases like the availability heuristic and leveraging tools such as experiential learning and social proof, urban foresters can inspire community engagement and policy shifts.

Heat Island Demonstrations

A demonstration project is a short-term, low-cost intervention designed to illustrate potential solutions in action, helping people visualize and understand their impact through direct experience.³³ When it comes to urban forestry, one powerful application is using demonstration tools to display how greenery can tackle the urban heat island effect. Cities like Chicago have engaged local residents through green roofs and tree canopies, using them as living examples to showcase how urban greenery can cool down heavily paved areas. 

For example, the USDA Forest Service conducted a community heat mapping project using sensors to collect real-time data, revealing significant temperature differences between shaded and unshaded areas.³⁴ Building on this idea, cities could establish demonstration sites with heat sensors in both canopied and uncanopied locations, offering locals and tourists an interactive way to experience the cooling benefits of urban trees firsthand. While trees themselves are long-term investments, the tactics used to demonstrate their effectiveness—like community tours, real-time heat mapping, and interactive displays—could be short-term strategies designed to make the benefits immediately clear.

Myth-Busting Campaigns

Addressing widespread myths directly is another critical strategy, especially those suggesting that urban trees are too expensive to maintain or that they cannot thrive in polluted environments. Organizations like the NHS Forest have created myth-busting resources that debunk these misconceptions, replacing them with evidence-based facts.³⁵ By framing urban forestry as a cost-effective, sustainable solution rather than a liability, these campaigns reframe public narratives. 

To spread these campaigns, communication strategies like social media ads, transit posters, and community newsletters can make tree-related facts and success stories impossible to miss. By playing into the mere exposure effect—where the more people see an idea, the more they accept it—these efforts can shift mindsets from skepticism to enthusiasm, building pride and support for urban forestry initiatives.

Success Story Showcases

Perhaps the most powerful way to inspire urban forestry initiatives is by putting faces to the trees—or, in other words, highlighting the community leaders driving these efforts. The Arbor Day Foundation’s “Faces of Urban Forestry” project highlights stories of resilience and determination, demonstrating how locals are transforming their neighborhoods through the power of trees.³⁶ One compelling case is Pastor Michael S. Martin, who rallied his Baltimore community to rejuvenate a 10-acre forest in Stillmeadow Peace Park.³⁷ Despite being in a city often considered uninhabitable conditions, Martin led by example, proving that it doesn’t take a professional urban forester to inspire meaningful change, just a committed leader with a vision.

By sharing stories like Martin’s through such campaigns, cities can elevate the narrative power of social proof, showing others how urban forestry can thrive when everyone gets involved. These examples don’t just inspire; they turn skepticism into action, encouraging other communities to reimagine their own urban landscapes.

​​While urban forestry offers immense promise as a tool for creating livable, resilient cities, there are important caveats to consider before scaling these initiatives. One major challenge lies in ensuring that green infrastructure projects do not inadvertently widen social or economic inequities. While policies integrating tree planning into city planning may seem universally beneficial, they must be paired with safeguards to prevent unintended consequences, such as increased property values driving displacement. Without careful planning, urban forestry can exacerbate the very disparities it seeks to address.

Moreover, the ecological impacts of tree species selection should not be overlooked. Introducing non-native species, for example, may address short-term challenges like pollution tolerance but could disrupt local ecosystems and biodiversity over time. To maximize long-term success, initiatives must prioritize a balance between environmental resilience and ecological harmony by opting for native species whenever possible.

Finally, behavioral science itself must always be applied intentionally. Awareness campaigns, while effective, risk alienating communities if messaging is perceived as overly prescriptive or fails to resonate with local values. Truly inclusive urban forestry demands a co-design approach, where solutions are shaped with—not just for—the communities they aim to serve. By addressing these caveats head-on, urban forestry can deliver on its full potential while avoiding the pitfalls of oversimplified implementation.

Urban trees are no longer just a green luxury; they are a critical strategy for building resilient, livable cities. By putting placemaking above space-taking, dismantling green gentrification, and uprooting misconceptions, we can ensure that urban forests thrive for generations to come. Illuminating the benefits to city officials and citizens alike is the key to transforming urban forestry from an overlooked afterthought into a core pillar of modern city planning.

For this third evolution of urban planning to truly make an impact, we must take integration to the next level by embracing a global perspective—that is, working together on a national or even international scale to ensure urban forests receive the funding and resources they need to flourish. After all, urban forests have an impact much greater than the borders of cities themselves, absorbing four billion pounds of air pollution and 150 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, making them an essential component in the broader fight against climate change.³⁸ Yet, as we scale up these efforts, it is critical to ensure that large-scale coordination keeps the community at the forefront of implementing these changes, recognizing that success ultimately grows from the ground up.

For instance, in the United States, the Inflation Reduction Act allocates $1.5 billion in federal funds over the next decade to support urban forestry groups, including cities, non-profit community organizations, universities, and tribal nations.³⁹ Importantly, at least 40% of these resources are earmarked for “economically or environmentally disadvantaged neighborhoods,” ensuring no community is left behind in this national movement toward greenification. By balancing both local and global perspectives, the third evolution of urban forestry achieves its mission of integrating all stakeholders to create a greener future—no matter where we live.

Fulfilling this vision requires collaboration across all sectors, with behavioral science playing a supporting role in designing and delivering solutions that work for diverse communities and environments. Here at The Decision Lab, we specialize in applying behavioral science to tackle complex challenges like these. Partner with us to drive innovative solutions and transform your city’s green infrastructure into a powerful tool for both environmental and social change.

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