Cecil Konijnendijk came up with a rule he calls 3-30-300 which has become popular among climate change activists and urban tree canopy specialists. The rule encourages seeing at least 3 trees from your window, having 30% canopy coverage in your neighborhood, and having a high quality public green space within 300 meters (340 yards) from your house.
Cecil Konijnendijk has been studying, teaching, and advising on urban forestry for more than 25 years. He is interested in how trees can improve our cities, communities, personal lives, and mental health. Cecil came up with a rule he calls 3-30-300 which has become popular among climate change activists and urban tree canopy specialists. The rule encourages seeing at least 3 trees from your window, having 30% canopy coverage in your neighborhood, and having a high quality public green space within 300 meters (340 yards) from your house.
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Shelby Stanger:
I've been interested in how nature impacts our mental health and human experience for a long time. Specifically, I love learning about how trees can make us happier. It's easy to think of trees in the context of looming forests, but we're also surrounded by them in the cities we live in. Think of the maple tree on your block that drops neon orange leaves in the fall or the palm trees in southern California that rustle on a windy day. Professor and researcher Cecil Konijnendijk is an expert on forestry and urban green spaces.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
I'm really fascinated by trees and these magical beings they are in a way. And for me, they're companions. I think they're, in some way, a bit human-like. We can associate to them, relate to them, and they follow us through our lives. They give us perspective, and they give us good companionship.
Shelby Stanger:
Cecil Konijnendijk has been studying, teaching, and advising on urban forestry for more than 25 years. He's always been interested in how trees can improve our cities, communities, personal lives, and mental health. Imagine if you took a bird's eye view of your neighborhood, how much of it would be covered with green treetops. That coverage is called urban tree canopy. Cecil's research mostly focuses on increasing urban tree canopy in cities around the world. I'm Shelby Stanger, and this is Wild Ideas Worth Living, an REI Co-op Studios production. A couple of years ago, Cecil came up with a rule he calls 3-30-300. It's become popular among climate change activists and urban tree canopy specialists. I'll let Cecil explain how 3-30-300 came to be. Cecil Konijnendijk, welcome to Wild Ideas Worth Living. We're excited to have you on.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Thank you so much. Excited to be with you.
Shelby Stanger:
And you're far away right now. Where are you?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
I'm actually in the Netherlands right now, so a little bit away from where you are.
Shelby Stanger:
Okay. So tell us about the 3-30-300 rule.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
So for many, many years I've been doing research and teaching on trees, but I always get a request from cities across the world from colleagues like, "Can you give us some guidelines, some guidance of what we can do, how much green do we need to have? How many trees?" And I've always been very careful because it depends on context, it depends on where you are. But then I also realized if we don't do this, we're actually going to lose a lot of trees in our cities. So at one moment, about two years ago, I had this idea that, "Hey, there's some research that shows that we should not live more than a five-minute walk from the nearest park."
There was a lot of research coming out that shows that we have to have, we call it canopy cover in our neighborhoods around 30% minimum. And then I also thought, I mean, there's a lot of research now on visible green, the need for us to see trees and green from our window. So then I thought, "Okay, why not 3-30-300?" So seeing three decent side trees from your window, having 30% canopy, at least at the neighborhood level, and having a high quality public green space within 300 meters, or what is it, 340 yards from your house.
Shelby Stanger:
Which is about a five-minute walk.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
That's right. Five, maybe ten minutes depending on how mobile you are. But World Health Organization recommends this as well that you should not be more than five to ten minutes away from the nearest green space.
Shelby Stanger:
When did you come up with 3-30-300?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
So I came up with the rule February 2021, so a little bit less than two years ago, and it was really a serendipity moment. I was really standing in my kitchen, literally having a glass of wine in my hand, and some things came together and I thought, "Hey, maybe this is what we need. We need this kind of rule that actually stimulates the debate and that can be understood not only by green people like myself, but also by planners and architects, and not least importantly, politicians as well."
Shelby Stanger:
So only in 2021, and yet the message is moving fast.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
It is, and to be honest with you, I was really surprised. So it went viral very quickly, and I think that had to do, of course, with it's catchy and there's evidence behind it. I remember waking up literally a week later and opening the Spanish newspaper that said, there had been a big protest action in Madrid where Greenpeace had been closing off some of the main streets and was asking for 3-30-300 justice. So it was pretty shocking that it had gone so quickly within a few weeks.
Shelby Stanger:
That's awesome. So your ideas have sparked protests.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
They have. Luckily, my name was not on the banner, I think-
Shelby Stanger:
Yeah, exactly.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
... but anyway it would've been - exactly.
Shelby Stanger:
Do you know how it spread so quickly?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Yeah. It's a great story. And actually I had a little side career as a journalist for a few years, and I'm very fascinated by how these stories come up. So what really happened is that I did a LinkedIn post initially and retweeted it, and then IUCN, the International Unit for Conservation of Nature, their European office wrote or called me the next day and said, "Hey, this is a great post. Can we repost it on our website?" And then from there on, it really went viral.
I think some influencers picked it up, some planners, a couple of journalists, and then within a week, I think we were at 60, 70,000 views for a tweet which I usually get now, maybe a couple of hundred. So I think that the communication part of it is so easy to remember that it really rings a bell and that there's something about seeing trees, living with trees, using trees, using nature. I think it all came together. And then of course, in number three which I, of course, realized a bit later, is something very special in religion and culture. And then of course, it's close to tree. So I think a lot of things I didn't really think about as I came up with the idea, later of course, showed to support its implementation as well.
Shelby Stanger:
Cecil's 3-30-300 rule is a catchy phrase that's also backed by research. Several studies have been done about how spending time in nature improves our blood pressure and calms our nervous systems. And while these physiological benefits are important, Cecil's focused on the ways trees can improve our mental health too. So I want to break this down a little bit more slowly. So out my window, I should be able to look and see three trees.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Decent sized trees, so there should not be just tiny, tiny trees, but they should be trees that have some stature because we know that larger trees give us a lot of benefits, for example, mental health benefits. So it will help us concentrate better, they help us distress as we have seen, for example, during the COVID pandemic, that people who could see trees from their window were in better mental health than those who couldn't. And the three trees honestly, that's the most subjective part. So we know visible green is important. We know trees are important, but there's no study yet that says specifically we need to see three trees, but use it as a proxy for visible green.
Shelby Stanger:
Okay. And then 30% tree canopy cover. Talk to me about what that means, what that looks like, what does that do for us, not only our mental health, but our physical health?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
So new research shows that if you are around 30%, you see some of those health benefits really kick in. So people sleep better, the birth weight of newborn children is higher, people have better mental health. So there's something like a threshold of 30%. I feel that 30% is a good aim to go for. In the US actually, you have a lot of cities that actually come up to 30, 40% or even higher, but as I said, here in Europe that's very, very rare. So 30% is still very ambitions for many cities.
Shelby Stanger:
What's an example of a city in the United States with 30% tree canopy cover?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
So if you go higher than that right now, cities like Atlanta or Charlotte today, actually close to 50, over 50%. Of course, not when you go to, let's say the desert climate or so in the US it's different, but actually North America has quite a few cities that hit that 30, 40%. Cities like Washington, D.C, Seattle is at 28% and have the ambition also to come up over 30% over the next years.
Shelby Stanger:
And the 300-meter rule, so you want to be within five to ten minutes of walking or 300 meters to a park or a green space.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Yeah. So it should be a green space or public green space that actually offers you to do different things, so I talk about high quality green. So you need to be able to do different types of activities. There should be different types of vegetation. People should be able to relax, but maybe also play games, observe nature, and that should then be offered at easy reach. So not just 300 meters, but actually 300 meters by foot. So you should be able to reach it also in a safe and good way. And with that, we know from research that people will use the area more, people interact more, they're more connected in green spaces, and we see immediately those health benefits kick in with people who use parks.
Shelby Stanger:
So you're saying that people gather more if there's green spaces, so if there's a park nearby, we're more likely to gather in community?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Correct. And even if you have a greener street, so if you have canopy in your street, you're more likely to come out and talk to your neighbors. We saw that during the COVID pandemic. I experienced it. I was in Vancouver at that time. You really saw the people interacted much more in those green streets that became defacto parks. And we've seen studies, for example, in Barcelona, the city where I used to live, that schools that are greener actually had children performing 50% better in tests compared to schools where the children did not see any trees or didn't have any green around them. I remember when I was in school in the Netherlands as a small boy, I was always drifting away with my gaze out to the trees outside and to the birds, and it helped me because it actually kept my focus and made me learn better.
Shelby Stanger:
I love that Cecil just crushed that stereotype of the kids staring out the window in class. It turns out gazing at trees can actually help you focus. This is one of the reasons so many companies are building green campuses. Research shows that office workers perform 10 to 15% better if they're in greener environments. Even spending a few minutes outside on a lunch break can make a big difference. When we come back, Cecil talks about what cities are doing to increase their urban tree canopy, the challenges trees face in urban environments, and what we can do as individuals to create a more nature filled world.
Cecil Konijnendijk is a well-known voice in the world of urban forestry. He's been teaching, researching and writing on the subject for his entire career. Cecil's ideas have been influential, but applying them to different cities is sometimes easier said than done. Each city has a different geographical landscape, demographic makeup and political agenda. Cecil works directly with cities around the globe to implement denser tree canopies in more natural spaces. You've traveled all over the world. What cities have done some of the most radical things you think with urban canopy and trees?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
So we see places like Barcelona and Paris. They're now actually removing car habitat, as I call it, for tree habitat and people habitat. So they're really starting to turn gray into green, which is something which we would probably not have expected a while back, but also in the US-
Shelby Stanger:
What does that mean? Does that mean that they're taking roads away and planting trees there?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
... they are. So Barcelona, they're closing off part of the road infrastructure. They have this what they call the Superblock program. So they're taking three by three blocks, and within that starting to remove traffic and plant trees, and create better spaces for people. And in other cities like Paris and so on are following suit. A city here in the Netherlands, Utrecht, they are taking a certain percentage of car parking away every year and replacing that with pocket parks and public spaces.
Shelby Stanger:
I don't see that near me. That's incredible.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Yeah. It's not everywhere, unfortunately. And I think sometimes cities that are still pretty green and people feel, "Oh, we don't need to do it," but I think especially those cities like Barcelona, they're so dense and where trees are really scarce, I think there, they really see the need now to clean the air and to make the city more attractive.
Shelby Stanger:
What other cities are doing well, I know you've mentioned Melbourne, Australia?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Yeah. Melbourne, Australia is a great example of a city that took urban forestry seriously early on and developed a really strong strategy that was integrated with its climate strategy and also with its public health strategy.
Shelby Stanger:
What about in places like India or places with massively dense populations like New Delhi or even Beijing, China?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Yeah, so even there. You mentioned Beijing. Beijing has been planting 50 million, five zero million trees during the last few years and is doing another 50 million to deal with dust storms, to deal with pollution, to deal with storm water. So they take it pretty seriously and they're actually making small forests out of their parks, for example, and even removing buildings in residential areas to green the city.
Shelby Stanger:
Do you have any stories of small cities or places that you've been to where you've seen a tree program implemented and you've gone back there and seen the change?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Yeah. I come to think of a city in Sweden which is called Växjö, Växjö in Swedish, which has been really good in taking green as part of their development infrastructure, and they have this nice green belt and they've really put green central to their political agenda. And I have to say when I go back there, it is working pretty well. And there are actually more examples of smaller cities that are really successful in embracing green, embracing trees and moving forward in terms of being more competitive and extracting people to come and work and study.
Shelby Stanger:
So interesting how trees can be like... It's like the chocolate candy that gets people in, green trees.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
That's right. And we know of course, I mean, many people are when they decide where to go in the world, they are deciding on things like green spaces and together with good schools and cafes, and so green is actually a factor that is factored in, especially in people like creative classes, and so they really want to go to nice places.
Shelby Stanger:
Okay. So when I think of trees, I think of trees in forests, but trees don't necessarily have to be in forests. They can adapt and grow in patios and on roofs. Talk to me about some of the unique ways you've seen cities implement more urban canopy, I guess. Am I saying that correctly?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Yeah. That's great. You're right. Trees are very strong and resilient beings, of course. I mean, it is sometimes tough for them in cities because the space is very limited, especially the underground space as well. So the soil volume, as we call it, it's often limited, but trees are really resilient. They can grow in any kind of circumstance, so we've been using that. Some species that are very strong can actually be put, as you say, on buildings or they can be put in very tiny spots. But I think we have to be better in giving them a little bit of a support, enough soil volume, enough space, water them in dry summers. And so to make sure that we help them because they are in a bit of sometimes a bit of a war zone when they are in cities, there's so many pressures on them as well.
Shelby Stanger:
What are the challenges to having more trees in cities? Because I know just outside my little community, they've had to cut down a few trees because one fell on someone's roof. And it was such a bummer because that actual tree covered our roof and our house was about four degrees cooler, which is a big difference.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
It is really important. And I think too often we still make the decision to remove the tree because, of course, we are risk averse and of course, sometimes something does happen. I think the barriers are partly political and are partly fear maybe, but I think a lot of it of course, is also technical, the lack of space. Trees should be able to grow. We cannot just keep them as bonsai trees in our cities, so we need to have overground and underground space. We need to have the right species. Cities are very dry compared to the surrounding area and of course, with climate change, they get more pressured, so we have to pick species that are actually more adapted to that as well. But I think on the other end, trees are very resilient and they're really able to grow in pretty tough conditions as well.
Shelby Stanger:
I like that you said that you have to have overground but also underground space. I think we sometimes forget about that.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Yeah. And it's so important that the soil part is really crucial. So I always ask my students in Vancouver and other places, "What is the number one factor for trees to do well?" And it is soil volume, so it is space on the ground so they can actually grow their root network. And of course, because of all the underground infrastructure that we often have, especially here in Europe, all the cables and sewage systems, and so it's tricky for trees to find space for their roots, and they need to be rooted well, of course.
Shelby Stanger:
So there's a lot of doom and gloom when it comes to talking about trees and climate change, but you seem to be on the positive news side of that. Talk to me about it.
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Yeah. Of course, it's very easy to start feeling depressed by all the negative things around us, but I do think that there is a lot of good happening as well. Local communities taking action, planting trees, cities taking action, and I think we should really ride that wave and make sure that we take local action and don't feel that climate anxiety that makes it hard for us to do anything about those big topics or big issues. And I think that's more and more happening that people think, "Okay, let's work locally. Let's try to do something in our neighborhood, in our street." And that's also the idea with 3-30-300 to really do it in every neighborhood, and from there on actually also address some of those bigger issues.
Shelby Stanger:
It's easy to get wrapped up in climate anxiety, but I love Cecil's advice to start small and think local. When we take action in our own backyards, neighborhoods and cities, it can have an even bigger impact than we realize. For his part, Cecil has been setting his sights on new projects in urban forestry that will change our cities for decades to come. What are you working on now that's exciting?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
So there's a lot of stuff going on now in terms of working with governments to implement some of the best research. So I've been doing some work with cities like Birmingham in the UK. I've worked a little bit with Karachi in Pakistan. A lot of work in terms of packaging the research and trying to really build urban forestry programs on that, trying to really think 40, 50 years in the future, how should urban forest... What should it look like and what are the benefits we want from it? And then we do a lot of interesting research still on things like using technology in urban forestry or things like food forestry, how can we bring that into cities? So my students are doing some really wonderful, wonderful work which I'm happy to be associated with. I think one thing that's happening, Shelby, which I'm really excited about, is that trees and nature used to be this icing on the cake thing.
So cities would do all kind of other stuff, the roads and the housing, and the shops, et cetera, and then they would think about trees and green, but I think that's turned around a little bit now. So we see now that, I mean, because of climate change, because of health, because of economic development, that cities start to think green more and build green into other policies, that can be done much more still. But I think, there's definitely a paradigm shift. There's a trend, and in my career which is almost 30 years now, I've never seen actually the same attention for green in cities as I've seen now. That's not to say that there's not a lot of challenges, but I think it's a great time now for people to gather around that and to work together to really capitalize on the opportunity and to develop cities that are completely different, that look very different.
Shelby Stanger:
That is really exciting. What can we do as individuals to help contribute to more green spaces?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
That's a great question because people often ask, "What can I do?" There's all these big things, but I think one thing people say, "Well, I plant a tree," which is fantastic. There are many cities will have not-for-profits or so, that can help you to select the right tree to plant. And planting a tree I think is a fantastic idea, but I think also taking care of what you have, maybe helping to water the tree in your street, keeping an eye out for trees that are maybe under some kind of danger. It could be a pest or disease.
Becoming a local tree steward or tree keeper, but also maybe growing your community garden or engaging with your local school to do a greening project. So I think we can do a lot, and I think passing on that message also to neighbors and say, "Hey, I know you're considering removing the tree, but actually this tree does a lot of good for us, so maybe reconsider." So I think on that stage, we can do a lot. Individually, you don't have to be a very strong green advocate to see that trees are actually giving a lot, and we would really miss them if they're not there as we know also from studies.
Shelby Stanger:
I mean, you've somehow made a career doing what you love, which is hard to do. Any advice on how to combine your wild idea, which was figuring out a way to study and advocate for trees, your life's work, and how to make it a reality?
Cecil Konijnendijk:
Yeah. That's a great question. I think passion is really important. So I always tell myself, if I wake up three days in a row and I don't feel good about what I'm going to do in the day, then I definitely have to change. I have to do something different, and I've actually moved and changed jobs because of that. So I think for me, passion is really important. My work is so much integrated into my daily life that it needs to go together well. And I also would say, never say no to an opportunity. So I tell my students that as well, "You'll get a chance, take it and try to think about the consequences later." But really say yes and take the opportunity. Even though it may seem a bit cumbersome, and I've done it. I've really taken opportunities and moved across the world. And of course, that comes sometimes at sacrifice and expense, but I think what I got back for it is definitely worth it. So take those opportunities and make sure you keep passionate about what you do.
Shelby Stanger:
Cecil's work is having a profound impact on our planet. His 3-30-300 rule is making it easier for activists and policy makers to green our cities and in turn, making all of us happier and healthier. Cecil Konijnendijk, thank you so much for coming on the show. We did this interview months ago, and it was a joy to revisit it and hear all the wonderful things you're doing in the world. If you want to follow Cecil, you can find him on Twitter @anurbanforester. Wild Ideas Worth Living is part of the REI Podcast Network. It's hosted by me, Shelby Stanger, written and edited by Annie Fassler, Sylvia Thomas and Sam Peers Nitzberg of Puddle Creative. Our senior producer is Jenny Barber. Our executive producers are Paolo Mottola and Joe Crosby. As always, we love it when you follow this show, rate it and write a review wherever you listen. And remember, some of the best adventures happen when you follow your wildest ideas.