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oai:mountainscholar.org:10217/2417672026-03-26T16:14:46Zcom_10217_100532com_10217_100000com_10217_100453com_10217_100303col_10217_182111col_10217_100454

Castiblanco, Emma S., author Burcham, Daniel, advisor O'Connell, Jessica, committee member Mothes, Caitlin, committee member 2025-09-01T10:42:04Z 2025-09-01T10:42:04Z 2025 Castiblanco_colostate_0053N_19090.pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10217/241767 https://doi.org/10.25675/3.02087 As cities invest in public transportation to promote sustainable urban development, urban forestry presents an important yet underutilized opportunity to enhance commuter experience and environmental resilience, as street trees can significantly reduce urban heat island effects and enhance the comfort of bus users. This study examines how municipal tree planting regulations influence street tree density along bus routes in 15 U.S. cities. Analysis of street tree distributions revealed that in 73% of the cities, tree density was lower along bus routes compared to non-bus routes. Spacing regulations generally addressed minimum distances between trees; required setbacks from utilities; proximity to traffic control devices; distance from structures such driveways; and spacing from street corners. Using a generalized linear model and regulation severity scores, we assessed the impact of these regulations on tree density. The analysis revealed that certain requirements—such as minimum distances between trees, structures, traffic controls, and corners—were significantly associated with variations in tree density (p < 0.0001), however the degree of influence of the regulation on street tree density was dependent on whether the street had a bus corridor. These findings underscore the uneven influence of municipal regulations on street tree coverage and highlight the need for cities to evaluate how regulatory frameworks can support more equitable, climate-resilient transportation corridors. born digital masters theses English eng Colorado State University. Libraries 2020- Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright. Influence of tree planting guidelines on street tree distribution along bus corridors Text Master of Science (M.S.) Masters Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Colorado State University This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). open.access