25 signatures reached
To: Heat Ready Phx: Office of Heat Response and Mitigation
Plant more trees PHX
I saw your recent initiative called “Sidewalk Shade Project” and I had some questions, concerns and a suggestion.
While I believe the concern of heat is genuine from your office, I don’t believe the Sidewalk Shade Project is a good idea in terms of sustainability and environment. Out of all the options available to you, why did you decide on spending taxpayer money on designs and construction of metal and concrete structures instead of, I don’t know, planting more native trees?
Putting up these structures will not fix the issue of extreme heat in Phoenix, but will only further perpetuate the issue. Furthermore, these structures will soon be prone to vandalism, abuse, and general wear and tear so much so that they will make our city look tacky. On top of that these structures will only generate/radiate MORE heat. Lastly, a lot of taxpayers’ money will be going to this project that a lot of taxpayers don’t agree with. I’ve read a ton of comments after this announcement and practically every comment is suggesting instead of these structures being constructed, that more trees should be planted.
Were taxpayers even consulted before coming to this decision? Was there a vote? Or is this a decision that was made by the people in charge, without asking any of the residents of this great city?
I think the decision of planting more trees would be far more consistent to what the majority of Phoenix residents want. Trees are FAR more sustainable and DO solve the issue of extreme heat and shade, not to mention air quality. Moreover, trees are NATURAL. They naturally cleanse the air, provide shade, and cool down the environment. It’s almost like they were made with that purpose in mind. In essence, where there are trees, there is life and failing to continue planting trees, instead of ripping them out everywhere, is an act against life, albeit a slow draining act. If you want to advance the quality of life in Phoenix, you’d be putting an initiative to plant more trees.
If we continue to not promote our permaculture, we will continue to experience the consequences of the elements in its harshness. Failure to find a better decision (planting and promoting more trees) will amount to a failure of office from Heat Ready Phx.
The people don’t want these structures, the people want trees. Please take this into consideration and I’d love to be able to talk to someone in the HeatReadyPhx office about this.
Why is this important?
The office of Heat Ready Phx has started a new initiative called, “Sidewalk Shade Project.” While this initiative is well-meaning in that it intends to solve issues of heat in Phoenix, Arizona, it will not realize this solution since it ignores what is more basic to us. And that is this: The best thing we can do to solve shade and heat issues in Phoenix, Arizona is to plant more native trees. These structures they want to put up will only radiate more heat and become a breeding ground for vandalism, abuse, and overall wear and tear. They will make our beautiful city corners and streets look more barren and more tacky. These structures will not solve the issue of heat and shade, but native trees will. Trees naturally cool the environment, provide shade and improve overall quality of life. Essentially, where there is life, you are sure that there are trees nearby. If we want to fix our problem of heat, air quality, and shade, it is most natural to the majority of us, Phoenicians, that we should promote the planting of more trees. Moreover, if our streets were filled with trees that provide more shade, our streets would be cooler and much prettier.