Austin Plaza Standards for Trees

The city’s plaza standards include ethe intent to: “Provide for trees and plantings that enhance personal comfort, provide an opportunity to interact with natural features, and a contrast to the hard materials of the city’s built environment.” In addition, shade trees planted along the perimeter of the Plaza, fronting a public sidewalk, must comply with certain species criteria and plazas are required to provide at least one planted amenity within the Plaza area in the form of additional trees or planted area. To encourage greater landscaping variety and to prevent Plazas from being excessively hard-surfaced, 20% of the plaza area is to be ground-level planting.