Since last summer, TreePeople has championed the protection of our urban trees as the City of LA prepared to launch its 30-year sidewalk repair program. This was triggered by a city settlement that secured more than $1.4 billion to make our sidewalks more accessible for all Angelenos.

The way we see it, these sidewalk repairs provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to upgrade our infrastructure to promote accessibility, mobility, safety and even our city’s sustainability. That’s why we’ve worked to educate councilmembers through the process to ensure that, in light of these repairs, our urban canopy is protected, and that we leverage this innovative opportunity to retrofit sidewalks to capture stormwater.

Many of you stepped up to encourage your representatives to take action to protect trees. Your voice was heard loud and clear, and there is good news ahead!

After many months of deliberation, the Los Angeles City Council passed a comprehensive framework this week to address solutions for broken sidewalks throughout the city. TreePeople is encouraged by the measures the city is taking to protect our urban forests and install sustainable infrastructure. A few highlights include:

• Developing best practices to care for and protect our urban forest, including mindful replacement strategies, alternatives to removing trees and maintenance plans to prevent future damage.
• Exploring sustainable sidewalk designs.
• Directing City agencies to report on ADA-compliant infrastructure and opportunities to incorporate stormwater capture in future planning, as well as potential supplemental funding for repairs that integrate green infrastructure.

We’re excited to see movement on this new policy, but there is still more work ahead! Success will require strong collaboration between City departments and the local community to design the details and guide the protection of our urban forest and local water. TreePeople is excited to support the fruition of a truly collaborative, visionary and comprehensive effort to keep LA healthy and safe for all Angelenos.

Keep us moving forward! Support our work to make LA climate-resilient.