A City Breathes Through Its Trees

In reviewing my batch of photos from a recent trip to Mexico City, I’m reminded of how essential parks and green spaces are to city life.

Mexico City is home to nearly 24 million people living densely in a semi-arid climate. The traffic is constant, the streets are busy, and yet there are linear parks and long stretches of tree-lined avenues woven throughout. In spite of the congestion around us, my traveling companions and I found ourselves relaxing beneath those canopies. We breathed a little deeper. Trees have that effect.

One of the most beautiful examples of this relationship between nature and architecture is the Casa Gilardi, the last home designed by Luis Barragán. Barragán designed the house around an existing pepper tree rather than removing it. The tree still stands in the courtyard, rising through the space as a beautiful focal point. It appears in countless photographs of the home, and now in one of mine as well.

Here in the South, we are fortunate to have trees and nature close at hand. This month, consider planting one. Someday you will be grateful for its cooling shade and embracing canopy.

And who knows. It may even become the feature in your favorite photograph.