I’m thinking if it would be better to make sidewalks as boardwalks offset from the ground just a foot or so. Obviously in places where it’s possible, which is far from everywhere.
It’s hardly surprising that the roots will break through concrete or tiled pavements, so the question is really why we prioritise the concrete over the tree. Maintaining a boardwalk does seem more expensive at a first glance, but a concrete sidewalk isn’t maintenance free either. It just appears to be for a while, but eventually the trees and other plants will break through and frost will cause it to break it down too. A concrete sidewalk still only lasts 10-20 years in good conditions, and even shorter in places with frost or trees etc. I’ve seen perfectly fine concrete break down in less than 5 years.
Anyway, my point is that I believe it would make perfect sense to use other materials for sidewalks. Materials that would be better to coexist with plants and trees or be easier to modify to tree trunks and whatnot…
Overall I think proper sidewalks design is generally a completely underappreciated discipline. I miss the desirepath subreddit. There are soo many things that could easily be done better.