San Francisco's 'Green Connections Plan' Prioritizes Wildlife

An article and video by Chicago PBS station WTTW explore San Francisco's uniquely ambitious approach to sharing the city with wildlife.

1 minute read

March 29, 2017, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


San Francisco Residential Neighborhoods

Sundry Photography / Shutterstock

Sean Keenehan reports on San Francisco's Green Connections Plan: "an ambitious 115-mile, 24-route map of potential habitat corridors in San Francisco."

The Green Connections Plan began in 2011, led by the non-profit organization Nature in the City in collaboration with city and community-based agencies. The big idea expands on what we traditionally think about transportation planning by "imagining a world in which cars share the road with birds, bees, butterflies, and bicyclists," explains Keenehan.

"Each route in the network is named after a native San Francisco 'Key Species' and is designed to incorporate 'Key Habitat' for that species," according to Keenehan.

The Green Connections network map. (San Francisco Planning Department [pdf])

To get a feel for the plan's Green Connections, Keenehan takes a bike ride along with Green Connections director Amber Hasselbring in a video you can watch after the jump.

Local coverage of a recent Green Connections walk is also available on the San Francisco Examiner website.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017 in WTTW

Sweeping view of Portland, Oregon with Mt. Hood in background against sunset sky.

Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary

Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.

March 12, 2024 - Housing Wire

Aerial view of green roofs with plants in Sydney, Australia.

Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024

A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.

March 10, 2024 - Daily Journal of Commerce

Cobblestone street with streetcar line, row of vintage streetlights on left, and colorful restaurant and shop awnings on right on River Street in Savannah, Georgia.

Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts

From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.

March 12, 2024 - Strong Towns

Aerial View of Chuckanut Drive and the Blanchard Bridge in the Skagit Valley.

Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding

The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.

March 18 - The Seattle Times

Historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles with large "Pan American Lofts" sign on side of building.

Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly

The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.

March 18 - Beverly Press

View from above of swan-shaped paddleboats with lights on around artesian fountain in Echo Park Lake with downtown Los Angeles skylien in background at twilight.

LA's Top Parks, Ranked

TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.

March 18 - TimeOut

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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.