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Trees and forests are an essential part of urban development, contributing to healthy cities for healthy people. The green healthy city will be an integrated element of the ecosystem, landscape and watershed management, resulting in better protection of the city against floods and landslides, and reduction of damage to roads and building infrastructure. This will also improve livelihoods, and preserve human lives and health. Urbanization must be linked to the development of productive cities that support livelihoods and generate income for all population levels, while facing the challenges of environmental sustainability.
Our ultimate goal is to promote urban and peri-urban forestry (UPF), taking into account the specific needs for poverty alleviation, food security, livelihood improvement and sustainable land and forest management in developing countries and countries in transition.
This interactive online Community aims to facilitate a wide and open network to reinforce dynamics among sectors, disciplines and institutions concerned. It supports an open dialogue, and exchange of information and expertise to reach an optimum integration of trees and forests in and around the cities of today and tomorrow.
All stakeholders concerned with the benefits of trees in urban development are invited to participate in support of good governance, public participation, decentralized decision-making processes, and implementation of good practices adapted to the local conditions. Mayors and city managers, foresters, landscape architects, scientists and universities, groups of interest and private enterprise are among the stakeholders invited to join the Community.
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