Tree Huggers

Yes, but also, species like Crape myrtle can handle it just fine. It lets you get thicker, stronger primary branches, and one of the primary considerations, especially with trees managed in the public right of way, is "will this tree drop a limb on someones head (or dog, or car), and will we be sued for it?"

Crape myrtles are basically decorations for the equivalent of an ecological toilet which is most urban/ suburban environments. They're used in places almost no other species would survive, specifically because they can handle the abuse. Many managers would rather do a more severe prune, which might kill the tree, but will prevent them from having additional liability. Not all species can handle this kind of aggressive pruning, especially ones not brought into cultivation by humans, and any wound to a tree puts it at risk from disease, but especially species which humanity have taken far outside of the ecological context the evolved in, these species basically require extreme pruning (apples, pears, some cherries and plums, and some citrus). They don't necessarily self limb effectively, and without management, almost inevitably will rip themselves apart under their own weight. Its a bigger issue in especially windy areas.