Roots of Change

Guide for families, offering essential information on selecting the right trees for the environment

Introduction

Project aimed towards educating families in lower tree equity neighborhoods in Atlanta about the benefits of trees and help them select suitable trees based on their needs using data visualization.

The Challenge

Despite Atlanta's reputation as the "city in the forest," and an overall tree equity score of 93, research into the Tree Equity Score revealed significant disparities in tree distribution across certain neighborhoods with more people of color and higher poverty rates.

Project Type

Data Visualization

Duration

2 Months (Winter 2024)

Independent/Team

The Solution

Educate the families in lower tree equity neighborhoods in Atlanta about trees and how they can benefit from them both individually and as a community.

Team

Tools

Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Figjam, Excel

Problem discovery

Disparities in tree distribution across certain neighborhoods in Atlanta

Impact of Socioeconomic Factors: Communities with higher poverty rates and larger populations of people of color tend to have fewer trees.

Historical Factors: Past urban planning decisions and policies have contributed to the inequitable distribution of trees, often neglecting certain neighborhoods.

Limited Access to Resources: Disenfranchised neighborhoods lack the resources and advocacy to prioritize tree planting and maintenance.

Defining target audiences

Low-income families

People of color

in Atlanta particularly those residing in neighborhoods with low tree canopy cover

Identifying pain points

Don’t know how to plant a tree

Never done it before

Don't have the money for it

Don't know which trees to plant

Are not aware of the complete benefits trees can bring to them and the community

Limited access to nature and beautiful trees

Benefits

02 Community benefits

Trees provide shade, reducing cooling costs and creating a more comfortable outdoor space.

01 Personal benefits

Positive impact on air quality, beautification of the neighborhood, and increased property values.

Dataset

Key

Click here to view the entire dataset process

Proposed solution

Campaign - Roots of Change

American Forest is partnering up with the City of Atlanta for an Arbor Day planting tree event.

The campaign aims to serve as a guide for families, offering essential information on selecting the right trees for their environment, as well as basic instructions on tree planting and maintenance. Towards the end of the event free tree saplings would be distributed to the lower tree equity neighborhoods, allowing them to plant and enjoy the numerous benefits of trees within their communities.