(haipo) – Shading in urban space: Haifa City Council member Sally Abed submitted a motion for order Tuesday evening (6/5/25) to the City Council calling for the formulation of a clear municipal policy for planting trees in every empty planting hole in the city and seeking to put an end to cases in which planting holes are sealed with concrete - instead of planting new trees in them.
Shade, air quality and a pleasant street experience
According to Abed, "A truly green city is a city that takes advantage of every opportunity to add shade, air quality, and a more pleasant street experience for residents." Among other things, Abed noted that in cases where irrigation infrastructure exists, a tree should be planted without delay, while in other cases, temporary or alternative irrigation solutions such as watering bags or manual irrigation should be examined, and the tree should be planted along with the appropriate irrigation solution.
Sealing a planting hole, according to the proposal, will only be done in exceptional cases and only with the approval of the head of the City Improvement Department, with a commitment to plant a replacement tree on the same street.
The proposal corresponds with the goals set by the municipality in its 2025 work plan, including a commitment to plant 4,000 new trees. And the majority of the city calls for the new policy to be implemented quickly, transparently, and in partnership with the city's residents.
Although the proposal was raised at the meeting and no vote was taken, Abed, who holds the portfolio of public participation and resident services, says that she agrees with the relevant professional departments that there will be no sealing or cutting without an appropriate discussion that proves that any other solution is irrelevant with justification. This still requires the development of solutions for irrigation infrastructure and planning for alternative locations. We will continue to promote this with them, says Abed.
Well done!
Trees are the order of the day because they significantly lower the temperature and provide habitats for birds, and of course, there's nothing like the look of a nice avenue of trees on the street.
That's half the trouble.
On Trumpeldor Street, in addition to the blocked pits, there is also a case of a tree that was cut down, and a dry trunk about a meter high still stands proudly in place (41 Trumpeldor, I think).
Extra things:
– Make sure that the trees are placed in a straight line (preferably close to the fences of the buildings when they are shaded by benches and not close to the curb). This way, it will not interfere with opening the doors of parked vehicles, and will also prevent pedestrians from having to slalom.
– Avoid trees whose blossoms leave a dirty and sticky sidewalk.
– Many trees have developed roots that raise the sidewalks and pose a danger to pedestrians. The city also rarely prunes "hogs" that grow around the roots of the tree trunk and hide significant percentages of the sidewalk.
– Trees planted where the sidewalk is very narrow do more harm than good (example: Galilee 93, where there is a tree that blocks almost the entire sidewalk).
Before the elections, I turned the matter over to Zvika Barbi, who promised me that he would personally take care of these things. So he promised.
And I naively believed him and convinced other family members to vote for him.
Hi Ronen, I completely agree with you! We have an environmental forum in most of the city that deals with environmental issues in Haifa – you are welcome to join :) Amit
Well done, it is imperative to plant and not be lazy, a blessing for future generations.
Suggests that a tree be planted in memory of every IDF soldier from the city.
Excellent! I'm in favor.
What's more important is to preserve the mature trees. They have no substitute.
Much more important than planting trees.
Of course, trees are needed in places where there are none, but in advance, don't be too easy on granting licenses to cut down trees.
Public relations nonsense. Her sector is the one where the most trees are cut down. Try checking how many trees there are in Wadi Nisnas and start there.
See Prophets Street and the neighbors' correspondence with the municipality.
Really cheeky….
Well done to the council member!
Which raises a painful issue in our city, whose situation is deteriorating not only in terms of these sealed cesspools but in many other areas!!
The public space in Haifa suffers severely from neglect and neglect, including a lack of care and maintenance, the accumulation of a lot of dirt, neglect, potholes on the paths and sidewalks, and much more.
It's sad what's happening to our city!!
And by the way, it is important and worthwhile not only to plant trees in these pits, but also to expand them so that the trees in these pits have space to live, the ability to survive and even develop!
The importance of trees to the city is not only for their beauty and green color, but also for providing shade on very, very hot summer days.