{"id":5184,"date":"2021-09-21T14:26:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T14:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/portanorte.com\/the-first-tree\/"},"modified":"2025-12-21T20:22:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T20:22:25","slug":"the-first-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/portanorte.com\/en\/the-first-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"The First Tree"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The First Tree<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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At Porta Norte, we are committed to integrating walkable urban design with nature. That\u2019s why we have pedestrian streets, trees lining every sidewalk, and we connect urban development with natural waterways. <\/p>\n

Trees bring many benefits to a community. They generate positive psychological effects, increase biodiversity, provide shade for pedestrians, and protect against vehicles. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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In 2015, Andr\u00e9s Duany emphasized to us the importance of having lush, leafy trees. He taught me to choose trees shaped like a martini glass or an uppercase Y. In this way, the tree canopy functions as a very tall umbrella. You can see this vision in the renderings DPZ created for the initial Porta Norte concept. <\/p>\n

To execute this vision, we have incorporated special considerations into the engineering designs. The water supply, sanitary, stormwater, telecommunications, gas, and irrigation systems do not run beneath the trees, allowing the roots to grow without interruption. We\u2019ve even buried the power lines so that the trees\u2019 canopies can grow enormous. <\/p>\n

Landscape architect Luis Alfaro<\/a> designed the project\u2019s tree planting. The most important design principle was to improve pedestrian comfort thru shade. The trees are spaced about 7 meters apart so that their canopies interlock, creating a large green canopy. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Street section of Boulevard Panam\u00e1 – Design by the Architect Luis Alfaro<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Most of the chosen species are native. In this way, we can find all the trees in Panama and increase the survival rate of transplanted trees. We are taking advantage of our great national biodiversity. <\/p>\n

The first phase has over 700 trees and 65 species. The reason for planting so many species is to learn which trees grow best. From this wide variety, we will propagate the best ones in a nursery to plant them in later phases. <\/p>\n

For the sidewalks, we have chosen exclusively evergreen trees\u2014those that don\u2019t lose their leaves. This way, we ensure continuous shade throughout the year. We chose a tree for the sidewalks of each street, improving people\u2019s orientation. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Panama Boulevard: Golden Flame (yellows). La Uni\u00f3n Avenue: Sombreiro (pink). Boulevard Porta Norte: Green parrot. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In the parks and medians, we\u2019re planting colorful trees such as guayacanes (yellow), jacarandas (purple), pride of India (purple), oak (pink), and Belisario Porras (red). Porta Norte will have a chromatic diversity\u2014it will be full of color at all times of the year. <\/p>\n

In the design, we included the tallest trees in Panama and almost all the fruit trees that grow in the country. We want to foster a connection with nature thru the \u201cfarm-to-table\u201d movement. <\/p>\n

On Tuesday, September 21, 2021, the team gathered at Porta Norte to commemorate this great milestone. Prior to planting, a few words were shared, as detailed below: <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Words by Henry Faarup Humbert<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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First of all, I would like to thank the shareholders, the executive committee, the team, the Rojas Pardini family, and my father, Henry Faarup Mauad, for having the openness and vision to create a development model focused on people and nature. We\u2019ve worked hard and weathered a pandemic to reach this major milestone of planting the first tree. An analogy a friend shared with me is that investing in trees is like investing in children\u2019s education. The benefits of investing in their education are felt in the medium and long term. The same is true of trees. We have to wait a few years for them to provide the shade that will be enjoyed in the medium and long term. To achieve better results in life, we need to invest for the long term. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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This first tree is called Belisario Porras (Barnebydendron Riedelii), the same species as the one in Plaza Herrera in the Casco Viejo. This tree will have a broad crown that will provide plenty of shade. It produces beautiful red flowers at Christmastime. Trees are being planted to create a cooler microclimate by preventing the sun from heating the concrete (avoiding heat islands), so that pedestrians can be more comfortable in Porta Norte\u2019s public spaces. <\/p>\n

This tree also pays homage to former President Belisario Porras, who founded the Exposici\u00f3n neighborhood and recognized the importance of urban planning and architecture in Panama. <\/p>\n

I was recently showing our colleague Alfredo Motta a photo of a very famous project just after the earthwork was done. It had newly planted trees. Today, that project boasts a spectacular forest with trees up to 20 meters tall. In that project, today we can walk beneath an extensive green canopy formed by the interlocking treetops. What a great vision! <\/p>\n

There is a Chinese proverb that I think about constantly and would like to share with you:<\/p>\n

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The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is today. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Today we are here to plant the first tree of the project, marking the beginning of a new urbanism.<\/p>\n

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