Save Ann Arbor Trees

What do we believe?

We must stop applying “old school” solutions to 21^st century problems. Old school solutions often ignore what we now know about environmental and climate issues, as well as best practices concerning pedestrian safety.
Sidewalks must be sustainable and preserve and improve streetscape and tree canopy.
We must take advantage of all local expertise available to us (University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, etc.) and begin thinking “outside of the box”, developing best practices and a model project that can become a symbol of what is possible.
City departments must work collaboratively to develop best practices. Traffic Calming, Sustainability, Forestry, and Sidewalk departments should work as a team, not as separate silos.
Strategies not typically used by the City when installing sidewalks should be considered if they serve to mitigate negative impact to streetscape while preserving pedestrian safety (sidewalks on one side only, “bumping” sidewalks into street, traffic calming measures, etc.).
There is widespread neighborhood and city support for this effort. This is not just an isolated reaction from a single neighborhood. Ultimately, this impacts the entire city.
And finally, we believe that if environmentally responsible sidewalks can be designed anywhere, it is Ann Arbor.