ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the street tree values, policy, and management and begins with a chapter by Woudstra and Allen on highway tree policies and management, taking an historical perspective of ownership and responsibility. It provides the historical perspectives on street trees and politics; celebrating diversity in different cultures, each remarkable for the outcome. The book also discusses the street tree values, policy and management, addressing more contemporary issues of their significance and contribution to our environment, both physically, philosophically. It provides the case studies of community engagement, civil action and governance: bringing together contrasting approaches in areas with diverging political directions or intentions, while also acknowledging the role of law and the importance of people’s power in street tree issues. The international perspective shifts further with a study of a twentieth-century activist for trees, Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel, in Mysore, India by Gert Groening.
