photos: Noé Montes/High Country News
How protecting trees can fight gentrification
High Country News, 20 December 2022
“This conflict over a handful of trees is not an isolated incident. For decades, black walnuts (Juglans californica) were essentially protected from development because they tend to grow on steep hillsides. But in recent years, as LA housing values have soared, it’s become profitable to develop even those accidental refuges. Now, Coyotl + Macehualli is using the tree’s protections to simultaneously achieve several goals: limiting gentrification, fighting extreme heat and deepening the community’s relationship to its ecosystem.“
High Country News, 20 December 2022
“This conflict over a handful of trees is not an isolated incident. For decades, black walnuts (Juglans californica) were essentially protected from development because they tend to grow on steep hillsides. But in recent years, as LA housing values have soared, it’s become profitable to develop even those accidental refuges. Now, Coyotl + Macehualli is using the tree’s protections to simultaneously achieve several goals: limiting gentrification, fighting extreme heat and deepening the community’s relationship to its ecosystem.“