Background
Urban forests play a vital role in everyday life, enhancing environmental quality by providing ecological, economic, aesthetic, and psychological benefits. Christchurch is internationally known as the “Garden City,” a reputation built on its long history of urban greenery and environmental stewardship.
With a history of over 150 years, University of Canterbury has been continuously located in the Ilam area of Christchurch. The campus comprises a heterogeneous urban landscape that includes academic buildings, open lawns, mature tree stands, managed gardens, hard surfaces, and waterways, including sections of the Avon River.
The University of Canterbury’s approach to sustainability is guided by the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi, reflecting a strong institutional commitment to responsible environmental stewardship and biodiversity enhancement.
This website serves as an extension of the DATA 601: Canopy Project, completed as part of the 2026 Master of Data Science programme at the University of Canterbury. The project was conducted by Hu Tingling, Joe Steven, and Fernando Giade, as a collaborative initiative between the University’s Forestry Science department and the School of Engineering.
The project was academically supervised by Phil Davies and Dave Lyons, with Seamus Moran representing the Sustainability Office.
