Trees are known for their positive impacts in cities including: the provision of shade, reducing heat island effects, improving amenity, reducing social vulnerability, processing carbon and improving health outcomes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, greening policies at the local and state level have proliferated. Despite these initiatives, tree cover remains stubbornly uneven. A cursory analysis of vulnerability and tree-cover by location shows that those who are most vulnerable to extreme heat events (Loughnan et al 2013) often live in those parts of cities that are most poorly shaded (ISF, 2014). Drawing on a new set of 50 online questionnaire and face-to-face interviews with local council officers in Melbourne conducted in 2014, the aim of this paper is to identify the actors and processes shaping the provision of the urban tree canopy. The results emphasise: i) the wide range of public and private organisations that, in collaboration, provide and maintain tree-cover; ii) the key role of residents within these governance frameworks; iii) the impact of urban development histories on opportunities and limits for urban greening. Theoretically, the paper advances relational models of urban governance in the context of resilient cities showing the urban canopy is the product of diverse actors and agents operating across hybrid and fluid public and private spaces (McGuirk 2012). Recognising this, the paper highlights opportunities for engagement with residents in greening initiatives; and a new integration of ecological and social data through which greening strategies can target those of greatest heat vulnerability.

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The papers presented at the 2015 State of Australian Cities National Conference (SOAC 7) were organised into seven broad themes but all shared, to varying degrees, a common focus on the ways in which high quality academic research can be used in the development and implementation of policy. The relationship between empirical evidence and theoretical developments that are presented as part of our scholarly endeavours and policy processes is rarely clear and straightforward. Sometimes, perhaps because of the fortuitous alignment of various factors, our research has a direct and positive impact on policy. Sometimes it takes longer to be noticed and have influence and, sometimes, there is no little or no evidence of impact beyond or even with the academy. And while there are things we can do to promote the existence of our work and to present it in more accessible formats to people we believe to be influential, ultimately the appreciation and application of our work lies in the hands of others.

This paper is one of 164 papers that have each been reviewed and refereed by our peers and revised accordingly. While they each will have been presented briefly at the SOAC conference, they can now be read or re-read at your leisure. We hope they will stimulate further debate and discussion and form a platform for further research.

Adapted from the SOAC 7 conference proceedings introduction by Paul Burton and Heather Shearer

The State of Australian Cities (SOAC) national conferences have been held biennially since 2003 to support interdisciplinary policy-related urban research.

SOAC 7 was held in the City of Gold Coast from 9-11 December 2015. The conference featured leading national and local politicians and policy makers who shared their views on some of the current challenges facing cities and how these might be overcome in the future.