Can you see three trees?(not-ship.com)
313 points by Pamar 3 days ago | 146 comments
tl;dr: The 3-30-300 rule, proposed by Cecil Konijnendijk and adopted by cities like Florence and Fort Collins, states every home should have a view of 3 trees, 30% neighborhood tree canopy, and a park within 300m. A study of 862 European cities found only 14% of residents meet all three criteria, with the 30% canopy requirement being the hardest to satisfy. Globally, of eight major cities tested, only Singapore passed — a problem with real consequences, since hitting the 30% target alone could prevent thousands of European heat deaths annually.
HN Discussion:
  • Personal experiences confirm trees and nature are deeply calming and essential for wellbeing
  • Cities like Amsterdam and the Ruhr area show successful greenery policies in action
  • ~The 30% canopy metric is too simplistic; tree quality, age, species variety, and shade matter more
  • ~Shade infrastructure should be prioritized alongside or instead of just tree cover counts
  • These criteria align with personal home-search priorities and should guide urban policy