Subsidence can occur for low rise buildings (up to four storeys) on shrinkable soils whether or not trees or other vegetation are present.


In cases where trees are implicated, we need to consider the relationship between trees and buildings in the context of climate change given the evidence-based roles that trees can play to reduce urban heat, reduce peak flows with heavy rain events apart from their many other benefits for carbon storage, ecosystem services, increased health and wellbeing and of course their value to placemaking and general quality of place. Factoring ‘tree value’ into the equation will influence the approach to identifying the best overall solutions to subsidence issues.


This session will explore the issues to seek a balance approach to resolving present problems and reconsidering low rise construction to mitigate them in the future.