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cover
Green Laws
Green Laws

• title

Community Design
LSU Green Laws Research Project
Katherine McClellan
Louisiana Department of Agriculture
Forestry EBR Parish Tree And Landscape
Commission

Photographs Live Oak Gardens Ltd. Abbey
Associates Landscape Architects

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PARKING LOT SHADING LANDSCAPE STANDARDS
December 2007
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Typical Parking Area Shading Codes
San Antonio, Texas
Sacramento, California
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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Problem Urban heat islands, along with other
negative effects occur when there is a
lack of parking shading ordinances.
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The purpose of parking shading ordinances is

• to improve the aesthetic value of concrete vistas
• to break up large expanses of impermeable
  surfacing to lower
• environmental impact
• to improve air quality with planting
• to implement shade canopies
• to create wildlife corridor through urban areas

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Many communities do not have any parking shading
regulations in place. Ones that do, generally
have them outlined as required specified caliper
trees per so many feet. Ordinances that excel
define minimum sizes for parking median
planting beds.
Tree spacing is regulated in several ways,
including - percentage canopy cover per so
many sq feet of parking area - percentage
caliper inch per so many sq feet of parking
area - one per so many feet across parking
area
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A well written parking shading code should
include at least the following

• defined tree species, installation condition,
  and quality minimums
• minimum canopy cover per parking area square
  footage
• median bed minimum size requirements
• tree planting distance from impermeable
  surfacing
• maintenance stipulations to avoid tree canopy
  overgrowth

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Typical code specifications
Baton Rouge -canopy trees defined -25 -100
space parking lots need one class a or two class
b trees per 10 spaces -plant trees minimum 3
from paved areas or 12 times diameter of
trunk -planter beds protected with curbing -all
beds minimum 5 width for planting
San Antonio -canopy trees defined -25 of
parking lot shaded -trees planted within 12 of
impermeable surfacing count half as those over
12away -bed islands no less than
9x18 -preserved trees count towards total
parking shading
Sacramento -canopy trees defined -one tree for
every two parking spaces -50 of parking area
shaded with planting design within 15
years -minimum 8x10 or 4x10 bed islands - trees
may not be trimmed except for safety/health
reasons
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References
www.greenlaws.lsu.edu www.municode.com www.baton
rouge.gov www.sanantonio.gov www.sacramento.gov

Thanks to Buck Abbey and his LA 4504 seminar