A number of people say that planting trees in the open spaces in towns and cities is more essential than building more housing. While I accept that creating green spaces in towns and cities is vital, I would argue that building houses is also essential.
Admittedly, there are convincing reasons to say that there are some advantages of tree-planting. The key argument here is that trees play an important role in improving air pollution. This is because trees can absorb pollutants and release oxygen to purify the atmosphere. Therefore, inhabitants may suffer less from respiratory diseases. Added to this is the fact that trees can also enhance the aesthetics of cities. In other words, cities become better thanks to the presence of green spaces. To illustrate, the city planners should build more botanical gardens and parks. As a result, people can hang out or do exercise in these parks, and this may be beneficial to their overall well-being.
However, it is also undeniable that housing construction also holds significance. A primary reason behind this could be the fact that an urgent need today is to address the housing crisis. To explain, urbanization makes more people migrate from rural regions to cities. As a result, cities may deal with the shortage of affordable housing. This can lead to rising homelessness and substandard living conditions, which have severe consequences. For example, people who live in slums may have to suffer from crimes and outbreak of diseases. In other words, prioritizing housing construction can mitigate many issues.
In conclusion, although I admit that planting trees in the open spaces in towns and cities is essential, I would maintain the view that building more housing is also necessary.