The project, in which, in addition to trees, flower boxes, garbage cans and bicycle sheds are also planned, is due to be completed by the end of August.
Aleksandra Čakas iela is one of the busiest streets in Riga, with tall brick buildings and few trees. As part of a street landscaping project that began in April, boxes of medium-sized trees and shrubs appeared along the sidewalks. Some of them did not last long.
Edgars Neilands, the manager of the company "Labie koki" ("Good trees"), said that the trees were planted too late. It was planned to plant them in the spring, but due to the long coordination time of the project, they were planted only very recently. White acacias, although hardy and suitable for cities, were therefore still too weak to withstand the summer heat.
The total cost of the greening project is approximately 270,000 euros, including not only greenery but benches, bike racks, garbage bins and other improvement works.
The landscape architect Helēna Gūtmane, who worked on the Čaka Street project, said that initially it was planned to plant trees in the ground, but in the course of long negotiations with the Riga City Council, they agreed on a compromise option - to initially plant a smaller number of trees in boxes. Then, in a second round of works, the trees could be planted in the ground.
It is estimated that eight acacias might have to be replaced, which "Labie koki" promised to do at its own expense.
Neilands said that large trees are not easy to grow in cities, but they bring the greatest long-term benefit to residents.
