The project, funded by Penn Medicine, will plant 700 trees across 14 neighborhoods over the next three years, beginning in Carroll Park and Cobbs Creek—areas that were hard hit by a microburst storm in July.

"We are here to celebrate real partnership, real action and real dollars being put to work for our neighborhoods," Parker said at the launch event.

The initiative is grounded in a growing body of research linking tree canopy to public health. Dr. Gina South, an emergency medicine physician and researcher at Penn, said the benefits are wide-ranging.

"The impact of trees on health is vast," South said. She pointed to cardiovascular outcomes for pregnant women living near green spaces, as well as improved air quality, temperature control, reduced stress and stronger community connections.

South also cited research showing that gun violence dropped by as much as 29% in neighborhoods where trees were planted.

For longtime residents like Rhena McClain, who has lived in the neighborhood her whole life, the project is a welcome investment.

"I think it's great," McClain said. "What it means is that we'll have the canopy and green space we need for healthy families and just for us to enjoy our lives every day."

The launch builds on the Parker administration's broader commitment to expanding the city's tree canopy. The mayor, who has described herself as a "tree nut," said the city has planted more than 18,000 trees in the past three years.

"I want you to know it is true. I love trees and I love our parks," Parker said.

Penn Medicine's investment will help add hundreds more trees in the coming years, with the goal of addressing health disparities in neighborhoods that have historically lacked green space.