San Francisco's Presidio Earns Fifth 'Green Flag' Award

The Presidio has been honored with the Green Flag Award for the fifth year in a row. The award is the most universally recognized international standard of quality for parks and green spaces.

1 minute read

January 29, 2024, 10:00 AM PST

By Clement Lau


Green lawn with historic buildings and Golden Gate Bridge in background in Presidio national park site in San Francisco, California.

A Beautiful World / Adobe Stock

Located within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the Presidio is one of America’s most visited national park sites. Spanning 1,500 acres next to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio is among the most biologically diverse parks in the country. Historically a home to native peoples and a military post under three flags, its facilities have been reinvented as museums, restaurants, hotels, homes, and offices.

The Presidio just received the prestigious Green Flag Award status which is the internationally recognized standard for parks and green spaces. The iconic park is the only site in the U.S. to be accredited with the award, joining more than 2,500 winners across 17 countries around the globe. Applicants in Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Scandinavia, and the United Arab Emirates all work towards the same extensive criteria to demonstrate their parks and green spaces are meeting good standards of management and maintenance for people and planet.

The Presidio first earned the Green Flag Award in 2019. It received its annual assessment in January 2023 by a professional judge who inspected the Presidio’s facilities for quality, condition, and ongoing maintenance. They also looked at the provision for the community and the ongoing progress in relation to biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and heritage. In recent years The Presidio has seen major improvements completed such as the Presidio Tunnel TopsQuartermaster Reach, and Battery Bluff.

Thursday, January 25, 2024 in Green Flag Award

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19, 2025 - Outdoor Life

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1 - Honolulu Civil Beat

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1 - KQED

Tents inhabited by unhoused people lined up on sidewalk in Los Angeles, California in front of industrial building.

California Homeless Arrests, Citations Spike After Ruling

An investigation reveals that anti-homeless actions increased up to 500% after Grants Pass v. Johnson — even in cities claiming no policy change.

July 1 - Times of San Diego

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.