RELEAF CEDAR RAPIDS
Street Planting Priority
TREE EQUITY SCORE
The Tree Equity Score is made up of factors including the existing tree canopy, urban heat island impacts, population density, income, employment status, public health, the presence of children, seniors, people of color, and social vulnerability.
DERECHO TREE LOSS
The derecho hit some parts of Cedar Rapids worse than others. The tree canopy data included in the Tree Equity Score was measured before the derecho and is adjusted by a factor that approximates what it would be today. The best measure we have available is the percentage of street trees that the City had to remove after the storm.
One of the biggest and most difficult tasks of the plan was to create a timeline for the work that reflects the plan’s principles and goals. There is no single right answer to this challenge; the important thing is to establish a transparent, justifiable methodology and to apply it consistently. In creating the Street Tree Prioritization, each street location was considered in terms of the following:
Nowhere are trees more impactful than where people are walking. The Cedar Rapids Pedestrian Master Plan lays out clearly where demand for this infrastructure is highest. This factor is weighted heavily because it subsumes a number of important factors like the presence of schools and higher-density development.
ROADWAY CLASSIFICATION
Classifications of roads make a difference because streets with heavy traffic are more visible and impact more people than local roads.
AVAILABLE PLANTING SITES
Given limited workforce, it is more efficient to plant streets that have more planting locations available.
OUR CR
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MARCH 2022
Illustrations by Chad Jewell
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PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE DEMAND
