The tree in the centre of this picture was planted c1981. Notice that it hasn’t grown much since then. This might be due to the hard packed soil. Or the “rain permeable” unit pavers that used to pave the surface around it.
But as the new excavation clearly shows, it hasn’t much in the line of roots. Certainly none that spread more than two feet from the trunk. I wonder what type of soil will go above the gravel base just installed beside it. Will its roots face a better tomorrow?
And this is in a park. Imagine what tree roots face along the streets.
That always bothers me, when city planners think that of trees from the ground up, when the majority of the tree is actually beneath the ground. And then they are shocked when they have to re-plant trees surrounded by concrete every 2 or 3 years since the plant cannot possibly thrive or maybe even survive in those conditions.