| Studies
Trees and Business - Growing Together
A National Research Program
Trees
provide environmental benefits in cities, but also contribute
to the economy of communities. A program of scientific studies
has found that shoppers respond positively to trees in downtown
business districts. These findings have been consistent across
large, small and mid-size cities of the United States. The
most positive consumer response is associated with streets
having a mature, well-managed urban forest where overarching
tree canopy helps create a "sense of place." These materials
describe the results across several research studies. Details of
research done in different sized U.S. cities are found in sections below.
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Wolf, K.L. 2014. City Trees and Consumer Response in Retail Business Districts (pp. 152-172). In: F. Musso, & E. Druica (eds.) Handbook of Research on Retailer-Consumer Relationship Development. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. (1.4 M pdf) |
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Wolf, K.L. 2013 (spring). The Urban Forest. Communities & Banking 24, 2: 25-27. (1.7 M pdf) |
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Joye, Y., K. Willems, M. Brengman, & K. Wolf. 2010. The Effects of Urban Retail Greenery on Consumer Experience: Reviewing the Evidence from a Restorative Perspective. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 9, 1: 57-64. (222 K pdf) |
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Wolf, K. L. 2009 (August). Trees Mean Business: City Trees and the Retail Streetscape. Main Street News 263: 1-9. (2 M pdf) |
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Wolf, K. L. 2009. More in Store: Research on City Trees and Retail. Arborist News 18, 2: 22-27. (456 K pdf) |
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Wolf, K.L. 2007. The Environmental Psychology of Trees. International Council of Shopping Centers Research Review 14, 3:39-43. (124 K pdf) |
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Augustin, S., and J.M. Cackowski-Campbell. 2007. Research Design Connections. Landscape Architecture 97, 8: 60. (pdf
1.6 M) |
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Trees are worth downtown's investment. April 2006. Downtown Idea Exchange. (pdf
204 K) |
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Wolf, K. L. 2005. Business District Streetscapes, Trees And Consumer Response. Journal of Forestry 103, 8, 396-400. (pdf
608 K) |
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National
Public Radio broadcast, Autumn 2005 (link) |
Urban Small Malls :
Public Response to Strip Malls and Roadside Landscapes
Strip malls evoke all sorts of response from urban observers. Some find them problematic in communities, due to inefficient use of space and poor visual quality. Others note that small malls provide convenient, local goods and services, and are important for new business start up. Public interest in urban sustainability is growing. New and renovated strip malls can incorporate more plantings and environmental design features. This study tested public response to varied landscape treatments of urban strip malls.
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Wolf, K.L. 2009. Strip Malls, City Trees, and Community Values. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 35 (1): 33-40. (1.2 M pdf) |
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Wolf, K. L. 2008. Community Context and Strip Mall Retail: Public Response to the Roadside Landscape, Paper 08-0842. Proceedings of the 87th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (January 13-17, 2008). Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science (Washington D.C.) (920 K pdf) |
Trees
Are Good for Business:
Guidelines for Planning, Planting, and Managing Trees in Business
Districts
Long
term and consistent stewardship of trees is needed
to achieve economic benefits. This technical publication lays
out the basics of planning and managementf for a retail urban
forest. It outlines the goals, partners and actions needed
to create and sustain a quality urban forest for business
benefit. The brochure was a collaborative project of the University
of Washington and the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the International
Society of Arboriculture.
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Trees
are Good for Business. Technical Publication of the
Pacific Northwest Chapter of the International Society
of Arboriculture, Portland OR. June 2005. (pdf
14.7 MB) |
Trees
and Revitalizing Business Districts in Large Cities:
A Survey of Consumers & Merchants
This research compared the attitudes and values of urban residents
and business people regarding the urban forest in retail business
districts. Research methods included photo-based surveys and
interviews. The project was national in scope; surveys were
distributed in cities throughout the United States having
greater than 250,000 population. The results demonstrated
public preferences for trees in business districts, and differences
in response between business people and nearby residents.
Differences in shopping behaviors were also detected for business
districts having trees. Those surveyed claimed they would
be willing to pay up to 12% for goods sold in a district having
a quality urban forest.
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Growing
with Green: Business Districts and the Urban Forest -
Fact Sheet 2 (pdf
144K) |
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Trees
in Business Districts: Comparing Values of Consumers and
Business - Fact Sheet 4 (pdf
272 K) |
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Trees
in Business Districts: Positive Effects on Consumer Behavior!
- Fact Sheet 5 (pdf
216 K) |
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Grow
for the Gold. In TreeLink, newsletter of the Washington
Department of Natural Resources Community Forestry Program,
No. 14, Spring 1999. (pdf
348K) |
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Tree
Investment Brings Cities Many Happy Returns. Seattle Daily
Journal of Commerce, August 2001. (pdf
168 K) |
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Wolf,
K. L. 2004. Nature in the Retail Environment: Comparing
Consumer and Business Response to Urban Forest Conditions.
Landscape Journal, 23, 1, 40-51. (pdf
3.1 M) |
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Wolf,
K. L. 2003. Retail and Urban Nature: Creating a Consumer
Habitat. Population and Environmental Psychology Bulletin,
29,1,1-6 (reprint of Amsterdam People/Plant Symposium
proceedings). (pdf
268 K) |
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Wolf,
K. L. 2003. Public Response to the Urban Forest in Inner-City
Business Districts. Special Issue on Social Aspects of
Urban Forestry. Journal of Arboriculture, 29, 3, 117-126.
(pdf 212
K) |
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Wolf,
K. L. 1999. Nature and Commerce: Human Ecology in Business
Districts. In C. Kollin (ed.) Building Cities of Green:
Proceedings of the 9th National Urban Forest Conference.
Washington D.C.: American Forests. (pdf
453 K) |
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Wolf,
K. L. 1997. Enterprising Landscapes: Business Districts
and the Urban Forest. In C. Kollin (ed.) Cities by Nature's
Design: Proceedings of the 8th National Urban Forest Conference.
Washington D.C.: American Forests. (pdf
647 K) |
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Wolf,
K. L. 1997. Psycho-Social Dynamics of the Urban Forest
in Business Districts. In P. Williams & J. M. Zajicek
(eds) People Plant Interactions in Urban Areas: Proceedings
of a Research and Education Symposium. Blacksburg, VA:
People Plant Council. (pdf
2.8 M) |
Trees
in Small City Business Districts:
Comparing Responses of Residents & Potential Visitors
This
study was a replicate of the large city study and tested consumer
response to trees in communities that have 10-20,000 population.
Measures of preference, perception and economic willingness-to-pay
were used again. Research methods included interviews and
mail-out surveys. Survey respondents prefer having large trees
in retail streetscapes. Trees are also associated with reported
increases in patronage behavior (such as travel distance and
visit frequency), and willingness to pay more for products
(up to 9%). Few differences in response were detected between
small city residents and potential visitors who reside in
nearby large cities.
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Trees
in Small City Business Districts: Comparing Resident
and Visitor Response - Fact Sheet 16 (pdf
160 K) |
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Trees
on Main Street: Influences on Retail and Shopping Behavior
- Fact Sheet 17 (pdf
104 K) |
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Wolf, K. L. 2005. Trees In the Small City Retail Business District: Comparing Resident and Visitor Perceptions. Journal of Forestry, 103, 8, 390-395. (pdf
604 K) |
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Wolf,
K. L. 2002. Human Dimensions of the Urban Forest in Small
City Business Settings. In SAF (ed.), Forestry at the
Great Divide: Proceedings of the 2001 National Conference.
Washington D.C.: Society of American Foresters. (pdf
555K) |
The
Urban Forest in the Athens, GA Business District:
Case Study Research on Consumers and Trees in a Mid-Size City
Prior
studies suggest positive consumer response to the presence
of trees in business districts, based on hypothetical shopping
scenarios. A contingent behavior study was conducted in Athens,
Georgia (about 100,000 population) to evaluate visitor reactions
in a familiar retail setting that has an established urban
forest canopy. Visitors of the Athens business district indicated
strong preferences for the presence of trees, and specified
how the presence of streetscape canopy influences their shopping
activities.
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Visitor
Preferences for Trees in Streetscapes: Nature and Commerce
in Athens, GA - Fact Sheet 12 (pdf
964K)
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Research
on Business Visitors' Behavior: Trees and Commerce in
Athens, GA - Fact Sheet 13 (pdf
564K) |
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Wolf,
K. L. 2004. Trees and Business District Preferences: A
Case Study of Athens, Georgia, U.S. Journal of Arboriculture,
30, 6, 336-346. (pdf
376K) |
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