The Project

Talk Tree to Me

Urban trees make a city livable. They create shade, capture carbon to combat climate change, clean the water. They prevent flooding, provide bird and wildlife habitat, and produce oxygen for us to breathe. They alleviate stress, improve health outcomes, and create economic growth. They are places of memory, gathering spaces in a community, symbols of cohesive social life.

Urban trees are a nuisance. They grow and crack driveways and sidewalks, drop leaves and limbs onto roofs, fall and destroy houses. They clog city infrastructure, block city streets, break electrical power lines. They cause friction between residents and the city over maintenance, arguments between neighbors over property damage, are symbols of hopelessness and loss when left standing dead for decades.

The relationship between communities and trees is complex. Beyond these “tangible” issues of value and cost, trees are tied to larger cultural narratives about identity, race, wealth, and justice. At the city level, trees are intricately woven into ideas of political autonomy, power, control, and care. Even neighbor to neighbor, trees are often seen as symbols of class, character, and politics.

This project hopes to facilitate a conversation about trees, using trees themselves as the vehicle of conversation. It does not hope to answer these far-ranging questions or to be definitive in any way. Rather, the goal is to open up a space for conversation and at the same time bring people in close contact with the trees in their city. The project pairs a Detroiter with a tree as the voice of the tree—they have asked the questions and set the topics the trees will discuss with the public.

Hopefully, the public enjoys their encounters with the trees and we all learn a little more about the complex relationship between our community and the trees. Look for markers hanging from trees along the riverfront during the Month of Design, and start a conversation with a tree!