Missing Middle Street Trees
A model for a greener, greater Melbourne. Enabling all future Melburnians access to robust street tree canopy, boosting amenity and fighting the urban heat island effect.
"Leafy" is a euphemism for wealthy suburbs—the data proves it
Socio-economic status is strongly correlated with higher public tree canopy. Detached house prices and unit prices are higher in areas with street tree canopy.
Melbourne’s “leafy” east isn’t just describing backyards; it’s describing the public realm as well. Meanwhile, the west and the poorer areas are incredibly underserved in terms of trees in both the private and public realms.
This leaves poorer people with less amenity and greater exposure to the urban heat island effect.
Street trees are an equity issue, and one that will require Victorian Government investment to remedy.
Trees aren't just planted: they are a 30-year investment
It is tempting to think of trees as set-and-forget infrastructure—but they require long term maintenance to flourish.
YIMBY Melbourne recommends investing the full amount upfront in a street tree capital fund to ensure that our city’s future street tree canopy is robust, successful, and vibrant.
As we build Melbourne’s Missing Middle, we have an opportunity to invest in the city’s streets and enable more Melburnians to benefit from our urban forest.
YIMBY Melbourne's tree canopy comparison tool features more than 200 inner Melbourne suburbs
YIMBY Melbourne’s Missing Middle Street Trees report enables viewers to compare street, public, and residential tree coverage across all of inner-middle Melbourne.
Top performers (within 15km of CBD): Eaglemont, Canterbury, Hampton, Ivanhoe East, Surrey Hills
Bottom performers (within 15km of CBD): South Wharf, West Melbourne, Docklands, Brooklyn, Sunshine West
Check yours: https://trees.yimby.melbourne/suburbs (opens in a new tab)
Key recommendations
- Planting 60 new street trees per 100 new dwellings
- Investing $1,840 per new dwelling in public greening
- Growing 136 MCGs of new street tree canopy
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