Chat with Trees & Design an Urban Treescape

Event Information

Urban trees are more than just greenery. They clean our air, support biodiversity, enhance community wellbeing, and even contribute to achieving net zero targets. But what if you were in charge of shaping the future of York’s treescape?

Join us for an engaging online webinar showcasing two innovative outputs from the Branching Out project! Using creative design approaches, we’ve developed interactive tools that explore the social and environmental value of urban trees.

This interactive session invites you to experience both tools live, as our presenters demonstrate their features and invite your participation.

More Details:

1. Chat with Trees
   Have you ever wanted to talk to a tree? With Chat with Trees, you can! This mobile website allows users to scan a QR code attached to a tree and engage in a conversation. Using ChatGPT and site-specific data, the tree responds with insights about its surroundings, nearby species, and its role in the urban landscape.
   → During the webinar, we’ll demonstrate how it works and invite you to suggest questions to ask the trees in real time.

2. Mobile Treescapes Game
   Imagine designing your own urban green space. With our mobile treescapes game, you can simulate the creation of a treescape, shaping parks, school gardens, and other environments. As you plant and manage trees, watch how your decisions impact biodiversity, canopy cover, and the character of the space.
   → The audience will collectively contribute ideas to design a new greenspace, sparking conversations about how we value urban trees and their impact on our communities.

Open to all – tree lovers, urban planners, students, researchers, and anyone curious about the future of our urban treescapes. Come ready to ask questions, share your thoughts, and explore the playful side of urban greening. Let’s reimagine our treescapes together!

Contributors

Debbie Maxwell

Senior Lecturer in Interactive Media, University of York.

Joanne Morris

Sustainability Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute.

Branching Out

Branching Out is a very exciting project to be part of. Not only do we have the opportunity to make a real difference to the way that social and cultural values of trees are properly considered, leading to fully rounded and informed planning and policy-making. But also to integrate our research in storytelling with environmental and social science expertise, as a way of bringing additional voices and experiences into the public discourse around the future of our urban treescapes.

Location of event

Location: On-line