Mobile Tree Trolleys turn parking spots into leafy WiFi hotspots

by Jana Branch

WHAT’S HAPPENING

For urban dwellers without a tree in sight, Matteo Cibic’s mobile Tree Trolley makes perfect sense. The Milan artist’s concept is a tree-cum-WiFi hotspot on wheels. Residents or neighbourhoods rent and park the trolley in any on-street parking spot.
Where most urban environment projects are expensive and time-consuming, Tree Trolleys are geared for spontaneity and accessibility: an ingenious, low-commitment way to green cities, one parking spot at a time (Architizer.com 7 August 2012).
Financially, the trolleys could be paid for by neighbourhoods and rotated, creating a changing network of green space to beautify streets and add a dose of digital productivity.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS

Trees are symbols of permanence and growth. Making that a mobile experience combines the best of modern convenience with the elemental wellbeing of what’s living and green.
The best solutions aren’t a choice of either/or. The beauty of the Tree Trolley is its double duty: aesthetic and practical, natural and high-tech, good for the individual and the community.
In the digital age, it’s easy to think “connection” always means technology. But feeling connected to nature is even more of a basic human need. Solutions that answer both are the heart of sustainability.

RESOURCES

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