Biophilic Cities Journal, Vol. 1/No. 1 (Feb 2017)

BIOPHILIC CITIES A Global Journal of Innovation in Urban Nature Vol. 1/No. 1 Feb. 2017 THE NATURE-FUL CITY Tim Beatley on the Hopeful Promise of Biophilic Cities FEATURES Financing Biophilic Cities / Citizen Science and Biophilic Cities PROJECT PROFILE The Butterfly Highway PIONEER INTERVIEW Flourishing Expert, Corey Lee M. Keyes GUEST PERSPECTIVE Dr. Robert Zarr on ParkRX

ISSUE 01 12 Front Cover: THE NATURE-FUL CITY Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Skyline 05 The Hopeful Promise of Biophilic Cities Photo Credit: Tim Beatley Tim Beatley 34 10 BridgePark, Richmond, Virginia FEATURES 12 Financing Biophilic Cities James D. Brown 20 Transbay Transit Center, San Francisco, California 22 Citizen Science and Biophilic Cities, The Great Experiment Robert Costello, William J. McShea, Tavis D. Forrester, Arielle Waldstein Parsons, Stephanie Schuttler, Megan C. Baker-Whatton, Roland Kays POLICY PROFILE 28 Biodiverse City: A Brief Look at Vancouver’s Biodiversity Strategy Kevin Fraser PROJECT PROFILES 34 The Butterfly Highway: Connecting People and Nature Angelique Hjarding 38 Parque Mirador del Sur/ Mirador del Sur City Park Ron Savage 42 Kemba Shakur: On a ‘Releafing’ Mission in Oakland Tim Beatley

CONTENTS 22 42 PROJECT SPOTLIGHT Back Cover: 46 Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, Portland, Oregon Edmonton River Valley Photo Credit: IQRemix from flickr. PIONEER INTERVIEW 48 EAxnpIlnotreinrvgieBwiowphitihlicCCoirteieysKaesyFelsoaunridshTiinmgBCeitaietlse:y Edited by Carla Jones RESEARCH ROUNDUP 54 Biophilic Dimensions of Urban Biodiversity Julia Triman GUEST PERSPECTIVE 56 GDeCnPearraktRioXn: oCfoEnnnveircotinnmgePnattaielnAtcsttivoisPtasrks and Creating the Next Dr. Robert Zarr PARTNER CITY NEWS AND UPDATES 58 Singapore Delegation Visits San Francisco Ella Wise 62 Wellington Update Amber Bill and Tim Park DEDICATION 66 He Lifted the Binoculars to the Window A Poem In Memory of Stephen Kellert By Jamie K. Reaser

The Biophilic Cities Journal is produced Many individuals and organizations are due thanks for helping produce this inau- by the Biophilic Cities Network, which is gural issue of the Journal. We owe special a global network of cities committed to thanks to the Summit Foundation for their conserving and celebrating nature in all generous and continuing financial support its forms and the many important ways in for the Network and for this new Journal. which cities and their inhabitants benefit We also thank the School of Architecture, from the biodiversity and wild urban spac- University of Virginia, for hosting and es present in cities. The Network acknowl- supporting the Biophilic Cities Network in edges the importance of daily contact many ways. with nature as an element of a meaningful For more information on the Biophilic urban life, as well as the ethical responsi- Cities Network, and to learn about ways to bility that cities have to conserve global become involved in this global movement, nature as shared habitat for non-human please see www.BiophilicCities.org life and people. Executive Director Tim Beatley DirectoCraorlfaPJaorntneesr Cities DirectJoarmoefsBDio. pBhroilwicnCodes Editor-in-Chief Julia Triman Graphic Designers Janie Bube and Mennen Middlebrooks

THE NATURE-FUL CITY 05 THE HOPEFUL PROMISE OF BIOPHILIC CITIES Tim Beatley We are very excited to share ies, and the work of passionate people in these cities. We hope Tim Beatley is the Te- with you our inaugural issue our journal will inform and resa Heinz Professor of of the Biophilic Cities Journal. inspire, and add an element of Sustainable Communi- With this first issue we are hope and optimism about the ties, in the Department embarking on a new effort at future of cities and of urban of Urban and Environ- more effectively sharing in- living. The nature in our lives mental Planning, at the formation, summarizing new and in our neighborhoods University of Virginia. research and practice, and tell- is one of the most powerful ing the compelling stories of (partial) antidotes to the chaos, (Opposite) cities around the world help- fear, and cruelty that seem to The Southern Ridges, ing to design and grow more carry the day. Singapore nature-ful cities. We envision I am happy to report that the Photo Credit: Tim at once a journal that serves vision and practice of Biophilic Beatley as a forum for discussing and Cities continues to gain trac- sharing new insights and infor- tion. The second half of 2016 mation, but also for inspiring was a particularly exciting us about the many creative projects and initiatives in cit-

06 Hot Metal Pedestrian Bridge Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Photo Credit: Tim Beatley period for the Biophilic Cities Network. District of Columbia told of an initiative to In May, we added two high-profile cities, establish urban food hubs in each of the Washington, DC, and Edmonton, Canada. city’s nine wards. She also took a group of We participated in and helped to organize attendees to see the impressive 20,000 celebratory events in each city, marking square foot green roof on the rooftop of the promise and potential of the Network her School’s main building, growing a re- and what it might mean for these two markable amount of food. It was a visceral cities. Edmonton is pioneering a commit- demonstration of sometimes hidden, un- ment to a nature-connected city, and one derappreciated ways in which individuals that values the easy movement of animals and groups and universities are helping to through the city. It has now completed its pioneer new pathways to resilience, sus- 27th wildlife passage. Some 250 attendees tainability and biophilia. joined us at the Edmonton Public Library In September, we participated in a wonder- to hear about Biophilic Cities and celebrate ful press conference at the Phipps Conserv- that city’s natural wildness and impressive atory in Pittsburgh announcing that city’s green ambitions for the future. Hundreds joining the Network, and presented Mayor of miles to the east, celebrants in Washing- Peduto with a framed membership certif- ton, DC, still a highly fractured, segregated icate. For me it was also an opportunity city, considered how the role of its already to experience first-hand some of the im- abundant nature could play an even great- pressive qualities of a nature-rich city like er role in enhancing livability and security Pittsburgh. The successful efforts at regen- for all there. At a launch event co-organ- eration in this former industrial city, built ized by Biophilic DC, one speaker, Sabine from steel and coal are well-known (and O’Hara, Dean of the College of Agriculture, on display everywhere in that city, includ- Urban Sustainability and Environmental ing Station Square, where I stayed) but the Sciences (CAUSES) at the University of the

THE NATURE-FUL CITY 07 nature story is less well-known. This is on the day I walked across it and back, a already a remarkably green city, a tree-im- visual blending of this city’s steel town his- mersed city with a canopy coverage of 42%. tory with its emerging love of and connec- A new 660 acre park, Hays Park, has been tion with the outside nature in which it sits. purchased that will be larger even than Pittsburgh has had remarkable success in the city’s existing (and quite large) Frick recycling its former industrial landscape Park, and the new connections to water are and in infusing green, nature-ful qualities especially exemplary. The morning of our in its neighborhoods. There is wildness press conference with the mayor I walked around one here, from the visually-pres- along a beautiful trail and pathway, hug- ent forested hilltops to the water’s edge. I ging the south bank of the Monongahela walked a portion of the South Side River- river. Along the way I saw the new South front Trail, along the southern edge of the Riverfront Park, a lively and resilient new Monongahela River. Along the way, wild connection to the river. A former dock for nature emerges, for instance in the form of steel mill barges, this park opened in 2013. the hardy, emergent plants and moss that Part of a larger (and growing) network of spring out from the large retaining walls. riverfront trails and bike paths in Pitts- The press conference announcing Pitts- burgh, on this sunny September morning burgh’s joining the Biophilic Cities Network there were lots of residents out enjoying was held in a beautiful open-air patio (it- nature. I ended my walk by crossing the Hot self an example of overcoming indoor-out- Metal Pedestrian bridge. Originally built in door barriers) of the Center for Sustainable the 1880’s as a railroad bridge, and later Landscapes at the Phipps Conservatory. It the 1880’s as a railroad bridge, and later is a spectacular green building, the first to transport heavy carts of molten steel certified Living Building in the City. From across the river, it is truly, as one newspaper its daylit interior spaces to its reclaimed article heralded “a Bridge to Pittsburgh’s Industrial Past.” It was incredibly busy with bicyclists and joggers and baby carriages Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto Receives Partner City Certificate, Photo Credit: Tim Beatley

08 wood siding (from Pennsylvania barns!), it colleagues at Phipps were able to advocate is a building that exemplifies the impor- and actively push the mayor and his staff tance of connections with nature that we to apply for partner city status. At least in want to design into all of our living and Pittsburgh this is a model of grassroots, work spaces. Later in the day, I had the bottom-up citizen activism, some form chance to visit the recently-completed Frick of which could work, I believe, in almost Environmental Center, at Frick Park. With any city. It remains to be be seen how this some work still underway (the elaborate group of activated citizens, and the staff of waterfall and feature on the exterior of the the Phipps Conservatory, will be a part of structure was not yet functioning) it was what the city does in the future to advance another beautiful addition to the biophilic biophilic urbanism, but I know they will be architecture of this city. watching and likely pushing the city ahead. Pittsburgh has clearly had much success in We have been active in other cities in re-imagining itself and moving from “steel recent months, as well. We had a wonderful city to biophilic city.” The development time in Baltimore beginning filming for our community is not surprisingly quite aware new documentary film about Blue Cities of these new nature amenities, especially and Blue Urbanism. We spent much of the the riverfront trails and parks. A 2015 study morning filming young adults participating by Sasaki found that the investment in in a City Parks and Recreation Department riverfront parks and trails (something on program to teach about kayaks and canoes. the order of $130 million) has helped to We watched and filmed as city staff taught stimulate much development (more than the kids how to balance and paddle, first on $4 billion) along or near the water. Proper- the firmness of land, and then on the water. ty value increases were found to be much higher for property near the riverfront (and Baltimore Alley Painting especially so in the area around South Photo Credit: Tim Beatley Shore Park). Much credit for Pittsburgh’s joining the Biophilic Cities Network must go to Richard Piacentini, the energetic director of the Phi- pps Conservatory. Their work began several years ago when they started convening a monthly biophilia group. They invited speakers and engaged in discussion about how their city could be more connected to the natural world. I gave a lecture in 2015, hoping the city would join the Network, and the next meeting of the Biophilia group was aimed at an open discussion about what participants want to see their city aspire to, and becoming a biophilic city was a main conclusion. Piacentini and his

THE NATURE-FUL CITY 09 These were kids who had grown up in trou- trees on the grounds of Soledad prison, bled neighborhoods, not far from the water, where she worked, than in her Oakland but never actually visiting or recreating on neighborhood! Planting trees, as Shakur the water. demonstrates, can change lives, can open They seemed to be having a great deal up new opportunities, can foster optimism. of fun, and hopefully the initiative serves And trees, in no small ways, can help us to ignite a lifelong love of these watery build hope. refuges. Later that day we filmed one of So, I circle back to the sources of hope. the City’s impressive alley makeovers. There are many, but I find the view of the This one took place in the Patterson Park white oaks outside my office window, the neighborhood, a diverse, though struggling birdsong I hear on the way to class, the neighborhood. The dramatic result in this persistent stream near my home, and the alley was the painting of a linear blueway, many remarkable ways cities around the a ground level mural produced by some 80 world are protecting, nurturing, celebrating residents of the neighborhood who came their own nature(s) as some of the most together in a moment of collaborative important sources of hope we have today. hope. Biophilia, in all its forms and expressions, Baltimore “Kids in Kayaks” Program has special import to neighborhoods like Photo Credit: Tim Beatley this one. Social justice demands that the beauty and profound benefits bestowed by References: nature be made available to all. The most Belko, Mark. “Study: Pittsburgh’s Network of Riverfront Parks disadvantaged neighborhoods and cities Contributes to Boom in Development.” Pittsburgh Post-Ga- deserve these connections to the natural zette, May 7, 2015. http://www.post-gazette.com/business/ world. We know of course that too often the development/2015/05/07/Study-Pittsburgh-s-network-of- result of introducing new nature (whether riverfront-parks-contributes-to-boom-in-development/ it is the High Line in New York or the Belt- stories/201505070094. Line in Atlanta) has the unintended conse- Frick Environmental Center. http://www.pittsburghparks. quences of gentrification and displacement, org/frick-environmental-center. and we must continue to find the tools and Phipps Conservatory Center for Sustainable Landscapes the will to mitigate these kinds of impacts. https://phipps.conservatory.org/green-innovation/at-phi- But we know the power that planting fruit pps/center-for-sustainable-landscapes-greenest-building- trees or creating a pocket park from aban- in-the-world. doned lots or starting a community garden can have in creating community and build- ing resilience. One example can be found in the profile in these pages of the work of Kemba Shakur and her organization Urban Releaf, working in the minority neighbor- hoods of Oakland, California. When she arrived there in the 1980s, she was struck by the absence of trees: there were more

10 BRIDGEPARK RICHMOND, VIRGINIA BridgePark is a linear public park proposed by non-profit Richmond BridgePark Foun- dation that would connect the north and south sides of downtown Richmond, Virginia and bring City-level access to some of the most appealing views of the James River. Utilizing excess roadway on the Manchester Bridge and surrounding areas, the new park space can connect to City parks on both sides of the river, thereby creating an experience that marries the urban appeal of downtown with the beauty of the James. BridgePark would also connect down to river-level access points on both sides of the Manchester Bridge.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT 11 Renderings of the BridgePark Photo Credit: Spatial Affairs Bureau

12 FINANCING BIOPHILIC CITIES In our rapidly urbanizing world there is a James D. Brown growing appreciation and understanding of the value of nature in cities both for see opportunities in their investments in nature’s personal biophilic health benefits green infrastructure to restore, repair and and for the large-scale ecosystem services enhance urban ecological systems. These that nature provides, such as: clean air and investments reap economic, environmental water; climate regulation; and a buffer for and biophilic benefits for these cities. increasingly inconsistent flood and weath- These benefits are gradually being inter- er systems. Biophilic cities embrace these nalized and quantified by our economic diverse values by nurturing native, natu- markets, which are increasingly accounting ral systems to grow green infrastructure for the need for healthy and active natural that provides cost effective environmental systems within cities in new and innovative benefits but also creates the opportunity ways. Operating at their best, these market for urban residents to interact with na- forces not only embrace the utilitarianism ture on their doorsteps. Biophilic cities of urban nature but also provide an avenue for promoting biophilic interests. They can

FEATURE 13 spur the development and conservation of as investments intended to return principal diverse urban ecologies, which create the or generate profit while also enhancing opportunity for residents to observe and natural resources and ecosystems. The experience nature in urban settings. figures provided by NatureVest have only The result is a new magnitude of financing increased since 2013, as an estimated for nature in cities and a promise of fund- $10.6 billion was invested in 2014 with an ing for biophilic solutions to environmen- additional 16 percent of increased invest- tal problems that are growing beyond the ment projected by JP Morgan for 2015. capacity of traditional governmental and Separately, the fixed income green bond philanthropic sources. Cities across the U.S. market tripled in size from $11 billion in and globally are embracing non-tradition- 2013 to $37 billion in 2014. al sources of financing to enhance urban These investments can return sustained natural ecosystems and are, consequently, benefits. For one thing natural, green in- increasing biophilia within their borders. frastructure does not depreciate over time Financing efforts include a new level of in contrast to man-made structures. Con- partnership and collaboration with private sider one example cited by Goldman-Sachs investors, but also a heightened govern- and The Nature Conservancy, which is the ment funding focus on green infrastructure. investment in oyster reefs versus a man- Growing Green Investment made seawall to protect New Orleans A report from The Nature Conservancy’s against rising sea levels. Both options have investment unit, NatureVest, identified similar initial capital costs, but the sea $23.4 billion in global “conservation impact wall depreciates over time while the oyster investments” over the five year period of reefs remain undiminished and produce 2009 to 2013. The report defines these ancillary benefits like commercial fisheries, investments, which I term “green invest- clean water and fish habitat. ments” here, Green investments also create small indi- vidual scale benefits that collectively (OPPOSITE) Green Infrastructure in Philadelphia. Photo Credit: phillywatersheds.org (LEFT) Kennedy Center Green Infrastructure Streetscape Project from Nitsch Engineering Photo Credit: D.C. Water

14 In this article, I take a closer look at Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, which amass to significant economic savings in are two examples of biophilic cities using terms of increased worker productivity green finance to increase the presence of and reduced healthcare costs. A Terrapin nature in their cities both for the ecosys- Bright Green report on the economics of tem services that nature can provide and biophilia estimates savings of $2,000 per also for the biophilic benefits that result employee per year with increased produc- from healthy native urban ecological tivity related to office natural daylighting landscapes. and $93 million per year in healthcare Washington, D.C. costs related to shorter hospital stays by Washington, D.C., has undertaken a few providing patients with views of nature. different measures to enhance nature by Other added benefits of green invest- using green financing opportunities. A ments include the reduced cost and risk primary driving force is the city’s need to for public entities that are not forced to control stormwater as the fastest growing solely shoulder the cost of green infra- contributor of pollution to the Chesa- structure improvements. Private invest- peake to the tune of 3 billion gallons of ments leverage other new sources of stormwater and overflowing untreated capital and create a greater connection sewage waste contributed to the Chesa- between the private community and cities’ peake watershed annually. DC is seeking natural amenities. New sources of private to address this environmental challenge funding can also help to accelerate the by funding green infrastructure with a development of green infrastructure and specific emphasis on the use of native help to reduce increased costs that are landscaping. lost as project time lines lengthen. In 2013, the city initiated a stormwater Accordingly, interest is growing in a vari- credit trading program to fund private ety of financial sectors. For example, in green infrastructure development within 2014 Goldman Sachs convened an Envi- the city. At the outset, the DC Department ronmental Innovation Finance Summit to of Energy & Environment modified its overview the availability of investment stormwater management regulations to opportunities in solutions that benefit require that new development account for the environment as well as investors. the capture of stormwater from their sites Supported by a growing network of in- for all but the largest rain storms. ternational policy the Executive Direc- Specifically, the 2013 Stormwater Rule tor for the United Nations Environment applies to new major disturbances of stated that 2016 was the “Year of Green land and new substantial improvements Finance”; a refrain that has been echoed to structures. These new developments by variety of financial experts with the must capture the majority of rainfall urging that global cities embrace green financing to ensure that their growth is sustainable.

FEATURE 15 Race Street Pier Photo Credit: James D. Brown

16 els and for less than the cost of traditional grey infrastructure methods. onsite. The stormwater must be managed Two recognized early challenges for the with one or more approved green infra- program are creating sufficient liquidi- structure best management practices, ty within the credit market and lack of a which include: green roofs; rain gardens; centralized entity to facilitate trades. A constructed wetlands; and tree planting stormwater credit retention fund has been and protection. established by NatureVest and EKO Asset In practice, developments are only required Managers who are working jointly to solve to capture 50% of the stormwater onsite these market challenges. and have some flexibility with the option DC’s guidance for implementing stormwa- of purchasing credits for the remaining ter projects promote the use of native land- 50% from other developments that have scaping that holds the promise of creating exceeded their obligations. Developers can vibrant ecosystems for flora and fauna. For also alternatively pay an in-lieu-of fee to example, street level stormwater projects, the city. The fees are used to fund other like bioretention and constructed wetlands, green infrastructure projects with the city. emphasize native plant species. The city A purchaser can choose to bank credits that has developed demonstration sites that it purchases and that exceed its annual promote native vegetation for these project obligations for later use or sale. types. The similar use of native plants for Thus, a developer that invests heavily in green roofs is more challenging given the green infrastructure in its site design can need to emphasize particularly hardy spe- create additional returns on investment by cies that can tolerate more intense rooftop selling the stormwater credits it generates conditions. However, the recommended to other new developments that are not plant lists for green roofs also include meeting their stormwater capture obliga- plant species that are native to the region tions. The net aim for the city is to capture and treat stormwater at unprecedented lev- Cira Green Photo Credit: James D. Brown

FEATURE 17 Stonecrop Blossom Photo Credit: Courtesy Alan Cressler, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the U.S., such as various species of individuals with the opportunity to con- wild stonecrop from the succulent Sedum nect with nature in the course of their daily family. lives. Complementing the stormwater credit trad- Philadelphia ing program’s promotion of native land- Philadelphia is a second city getting cre- scaping are DC’s Green Area Ratio (GAR) ative with financing to increase the pres- landscape and design standards for new ence of nature. Since 2011, as part of its development. The GAR is a comparative Green City, Clean Waters program, over weighting of landscape features with the 1,110 new green landscaping features have aim of increasing the quantity and quality been added to the city’s streets to capture of the urban landscape’s environmental stormwater. Philadelphia has achieved performance in the areas of stormwater this result by reconsidering how it invests retention, air quality and heat reduction. public funds. The GAR scoring system provides a bonus At its completion, the estimated clean for the use of native landscaping that is water improvements and financial savings set out in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s are quite impressive. Through the addition Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Con- of “living landscapes” on current imperme- servation Landscaping in the Chesapeake Bay able surfaces, including roofs, streets and Watershed. sidewalks, it is estimated that stormwater These various efforts by DC emphasize the pollution can be reduced by 85%. This value of flourishing native ecosystems in would improve the quality of the city’s wa- creating answers to the environmental ters beyond that for any city resident within problems that trouble all growing urban living memory. The estimated savings to areas. The investments encouraged by accomplish this task: $5.6 billion! DC’s recent efforts demand that the city’s So how is Philadelphia accomplishing infrastructure perform double-duty: to this feat? By combining its investments in meet the environmental needs of a major stormwater control and the development city in terms of clean air and water; and to enhance the urban landscape to provide

18 of public parks. The Philadelphia Water developments larger than 15,000 square Department (PWD) is teaming up with feet manage the first inch of stormwater the Parks and Recreation Department to runoff from their sites. The city estimat- respond to the demand for more green ed that over 25 years the benefits of this space within the city, while cost effectively requirement would exceed $1 billion. controlling stormwater pollution. The first Similarly, in 2010, the city began phasing in piece of this puzzle was to use PWD fund- an update to its stormwater utility fee that ing from residents’ water bills to add 500 bases the fee on the square footage of im- acres of new park space within the city by pervious surfaces. The city has developed 2015 with integrated green stormwater in- a stormwater credit and grant program to frastructure as part and parcel of the parks. assist non-residential properties in retrofits Other aspects of the green investment that increase green infrastructure on their include a large-scale street tree program, property and reduce their stormwater util- conversion of vacant and abandoned lots, ity bills. The Green City, Clean Waters plan and restoring streams. Philadelphia plans complements these private investments in to continue its current commitment and green infrastructure to put in place a city- spend $2.4 billion over 25 years to capture wide plan for greening. over one-third of the city’s stormwater from One last piece of the puzzle is the redevel- impervious surfaces. This plan was devel- opment of vacant lots with an eye towards oped after 10 years of pilot programs and green infrastructure. As of 2011, there careful consideration as to its feasibility. were over 40,000 vacant lots within Phila- Philadelphia’s commitment has leveraged delphia, which is the result of a 24% re- additional financial commitments. Begin- duction in the population of the city since ning in 2012, the Environmental Protection World War II. The city has a community Agency (EPA) committed to ensuring that vacant lot program that provides clean up Philadelphia accomplishes its 25-year services for the 74% of vacant lots that are Green City, Clean Water plan, as a demon- privately owned. The city is also aggres- stration of the EPA’s support for innovative sively looking to move the lots it owns to greening approaches. In 2014, EPA pro- private ownership to encourage redevelop- vided $5 million in funding to five Phil- ment. For those lots with limited redevel- adelphia area universities to explore the opment potential, the city is developing a financial and social benefits of the green plan to dedicate these lots for green infra- infrastructure plan. structure. A December 2012 Report indi- Prior to the adoption of the plan, in 2006, cates significant potential for improving the city adopted a requirement that new the greening of vacant lots within the city. One tremendous added benefit of greening vacant lots is providing access to green PORTLAND, OREGON For other remarkable savings consider Portland, Oregon’s River to Tabor program, which used green in- frastructure to control stormwater on the city’s east side. The projected cost of a traditional stormwater control project using pipes was estimated at $144 million, while the green infrastructure alternative cost 44% less at $81 million: a savings of $63 million.

FEATURE 19 Shoemaker Green at University of Pennsylvania functioning urban ecosystems, these pro- Photo Credit: James D. Brown jects can contribute and also enhance the presence of biophilia across the city. space for the more than 200,000, mostly low income, residents without half-mile Resources: access to public green space. Goldman Sachs. 2014 Environmental Finance Innova- All this effort has translated into 441 tion Summit. Available at http://www.goldmansachs. different green infrastructure projects with com/our-thinking/pages/new-energy-land- unique biophilic qualities on over 837 acres scape-folder/environmental-finance-innovation-sum- across the city within the first five years of mit-2014/efi-summit-report.pdf. the program. Projects include rain gardens NatureVest and EKO Asset Management Partners. in municipal parks and stormwater tree Investing in Conservation: A landscape assessment of trenches in public right-of-ways, along with an emerging market. Nov. 2014. Available at http:// private projects within commercial park- www.naturevesttnc.org/pdf/InvestingInConserva- ing lots and residential common areas. As tion_Report.pdf. with DC, the challenge is for these projects New York City Soil & Water Conservation District. to maximize the use of native and diverse Greening Vacant Lots: Implementation and Planning landscaping to not only provide infrastruc- and Strategies. Dec. 2012. Available at https://www. ture services but also to grow healthy ur- nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wat_13022701a.pdf. ban ecosystems that create an opportunity NRDC. Financing Stormwater Retrofits in Philadelphia for residents to find respite and to connect and Beyond. Feb. 2012. Available at https://www. with nature during the course of their daily nrdc.org/sites/default/files/StormwaterFinancing-re- lives. port.pdf. Thinking outside the box will result in NRDC. The Green Edge: How Commercial Property significant benefits for Philadelphia as it Investment in Green Infrastructure Creates Value. is enjoying a new era of access to nature December 2013. Available at https://www.nrdc.org/ and clean water, at substantial savings sites/default/files/commercial-value-green-infrastruc- compared to a traditional stormwater in- ture-report.pdf. frastructure plan, and with the knowledge Philadelphia Water Department. Green City, Clean that green infrastructure can be main- Waters. http://phillywatersheds.org/what_were_do- tained in perpetuity. As emphasized by ing/documents_and_data/cso_long_term_con- the city, the plan has a triple bottom line trol_plan. that provides economic, social and envi- Terrapin Bright Green. The Economics of Biophilia: ronmental benefits. To the extent that the Why designing with nature in mind makes financial resulting projects can create vibrant and sense. 2012. Available at http://www.terrapinbright- green.com/report/economics-of-biophilia. Washington, D.C., Dept. of Energy & Environment. 2013 Stormwater Management Rule and Guidebook. Available at http://doee.dc.gov/node/610572. Washington, D.C., Dept. of Energy & Environment. Green Area Ratio. http://doee.dc.gov/GAR.

20 TRANSBAY TRANSIT CENTER SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA S an Francisco’s Transbay Transit Center, a collective regional and local government initiative, will feature “City Park,” a public 5.4-acre rooftop park. The 1,400 foot long elevated park will feature a wide range of activities and amenities, including an outdoor amphitheater, gar- dens, trails, open grass areas, and children’s play space, as well as a restaurant and cafe. City Park will double as a “green roof” for the Transit Center. It will shade much of the ground-level sidewalk when the sun is strongest and provide biological habitat for flora and fauna and public open space for transit passengers, neighborhood resi- dents, and employees.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT 21 Transbay Transit Center Rendering Photo Credit: San Francisco Planning

22 Whitetail Deer Photo Credit: Robert Costello CITIZEN SCIENCE AND BIOPHILIC CITIES, THE GREAT EXPERIMENT Robert Costello, William J. McShea, Tavis D. Forrester, Arielle Waldstein Parsons, Stephanie Schuttler, Megan C. Baker-Whatton, Roland Kays Not so long ago ecologists looked upon ur- most wildlife. Have you ever seen a crepe ban areas as empty matrices, sterile waste- myrtle in bloom abuzz with North Ameri- lands isolated from natural wildlife habitat. can bumble bees? Wildlife communities were considered to But life adapts and evolves, native species not have adequate habitat, refuges, or con- are returning to land claimed by humans, necting corridors allowing animal move- cities are becoming full of nature. With a ment around the urban cityscape. Only bit of help from urban planners and species a small variety of animals inhabited our evolution, natureful cities create opportuni- cities and their bio-depauperate parks, and ties for native communities of organisms to quite a few of those animals were invasive recolonize the urban landscape and rees- species--Norway rats, house sparrows, star- tablish breeding populations. The return lings, domestic pigeons, house mice, Asian of nature to cities is visible, but the over- tiger mosquitoes, marmorated stink bugs. all effect on wildlife and people remains Parks were planted with trees originating unknown. Can cities provide much-needed from different continents--ginkgos, Norway habitat to declining species and help maples, London plane trees, crepe myrtle. These unnatural habitats were useless to

FEATURE 23 reverse their spiral toward extirpation, or where so many human beings live. worse, extinction? Can city dwellers accept Innately connected to the natural world, living with recolonizing fauna such as car- human health and well-being depend on nivores? How about large carnivores?! And healthy environments and the organisms what about the zoonotic diseases animals inhabiting them. Monitoring the environ- carry that can spillover to humans--rabies, ment and correlating changes in plant hantavirus, lyme disease, Nipah, Ebola? To and animal distribution and abundance to answer these questions requires long term human activities and abiotic factors, such monitoring of wildlife communities across as land uses and climate change effects, is a variety of urban landscapes to measure the only way we can know which strategies the effects of greening urban spaces. for making urban areas habitable for wild- This is where citizen science has the poten- life are working. Will biophilic cities create tial to be one of the most potent practices wildlife refuges and endemic communities for measuring how biodiversity returns to of organisms, and will this have a positive urban areas and the effects on humans. effect on human health and well-being? We make this claim from our experiences The commercial production chain of as wildlife ecologists and educators work- plants for urban, suburban and exurban ing on a variety of citizen science projects landscapes has ecologically homogenized across many different landscapes, from ur- green spaces to the extent that planted ban to wild. We imagined and built eMam- lawns and parks in Phoenix, Arizona, Bos- mal, the largest citizen science project for ton, Massachusetts and Daejeon (Korea) all monitoring mammals. The geographic scale share the same trees, shrubs and flower- of eMammal required recruiting hundreds ing plants, creating more of the same will of volunteers and students and we used not provide the most suitable habitats for the data collected to study the ecological endemic species. What would be the effects implications of human activities and our on faunal biodiversity should this practice pets on wildlife. We have also investigated change and a more mindful reconstruction the personal gains citizen scientists expe- of native habitats across urban landscapes rienced from their participation. From our became the standard? Answering this ques- research and experience we see citizen tion requires analyses at different scales, scientists as valuable partners in our ef- from micro to macro, and collecting the forts to understand uniquely urban wildlife data needed to inform us of the effects of communities. These communities are new our practices towards promoting and sus- suites of species inhabiting disturbed and taining biodiversity is far greater than the reconstructed landscapes and the trophic capacity of a relatively limited number of roles each plays in less disturbed areas ecologists. Documenting the flora and fau- may not apply to urban environments. We na in an urban landscape is the first giant need to acquire new knowledge about the step towards measuring changes over time interconnectedness of species in urban en- and understanding urban wildlife habitat vironments and we need citizen scientists requirements. in those areas to participate in advancing our understanding of how nature works

24 The scale of documenting the biodiver- How can the remaining be documented? sity of even one urban landscape might One method is to intensively scour a park seem daunting; however, there are ways with citizen scientists and a few experts to achieve this. First, programs are already over a short period of time to collect and in place for monitoring trees such as Tree document plants, fungi and invertebrates Steward and Casey Trees in the Washing- and vertebrates. Experts sort and identify ton DC region. Monitoring birds, has been the collected specimens. In celebration of a popular activity for more than a century the 100th anniversary of the National Park and there have been steady gains in under- Service in 2016, hundreds of these bioblitz- standing migratory species movements and es took place all across the country. This bird reproductive success. In the U.S., the is a remarkable achievement considering Christmas Bird Count, Great Backyard Bird the first National Park Service bioblitz took Count, Neighborhood NestWatch, Feeder- place in Rock Creek Park in 2007. Rock Creek Watch and eBird are a few of the projects Park is a jewel for biodiversity in downtown contributing to monitoring avian communi- Washington, D.C. and many of the scientists ties. However, monitoring mammals re- that participated were from the Smithsonian quires a different strategy as most species Institution. Yet not every city has a Smith- are nocturnal and cryptic and difficult to sonian Institution and enough taxonomic observe with any regularity. eMammal and specialists to cover the biodiversity of a other projects working in urban spaces are single park. Although bioblitzes document using camera traps to capture the diver- species, it should be noted very little science sity, distribution and relative abundance has emerged from these activities as they of mammals. Camera traps utilize sensors tend not to be driven by research questions. to remotely detect animals as small as Other methods are necessary. One approach chipmunks and automatically photograph that gets around having experts identify them. Tied to tree trunks, camera traps can species is to barcode specimens. remain vigilant for weeks and months at a DNA barcoding is a high tech, yet inex- time recording all the warm blooded ani- pensive way to identify species. For most mals and ground birds in motion within the animals such as arthropods, sequencing a field of view. single gene from the mitochondria of an eMammal has successfully recruited hun- organism is enough information to identify dreds of citizen scientists to deploy these de- a species. Similarly, plants can be identified vices at thousands of locations and assessed at the species level from the sequences of the effects of hunting, hiking, domestic dogs a few genes. To identify a species from a and cats and development on wildlife com- DNA barcode, anyone can query Genbank, munities. As costs have dropped, these trail an online DNA sequence database, to find a cameras have become so popular with the matching sequence that is already identified public it is estimated millions are sold each at the species level. Thus matching barcodes year in the U.S. So the tools, programs and does not require a taxonomic expert to iden- method for monitoring birds and mammals tify species. Also, the equipment required are now within reach, yet this important and to extract and prepare DNA is minimal, and beloved fauna merely represents a fraction DNA sequencing centers have capacity to of biodiversity. manage high throughput barcoding.

FEATURE 25 Gray Fox Photo Credit: Robert Costello At the grassroots level, DIY biolabs already that was collected is new to science. Both exist that are capable, such as Genspace, of these cases will undoubtedly occur with which is set on barcoding the plants of Alas- any ambitious barcoding project. It will be ka. Even some high schools have barcoding exciting for citizen scientists to discover programs. Consequently, citizen scientists new species right under our noses, and it could barcode Washington D.C. or any other will be important for them to help build city and maintain a database on biodiversi- the database in Genbank and detect newly ty for perpetuity, resample at intervals and invasive species. measure changes in biodiversity, species The programs, technology and knowledge abundance and distributions. for documenting biodiversity at fine scale Of course, there will be DNA barcodes all exist. But what does participating in such that are not yet in Genbank. According to an ambitious enterprise mean for the citizen a recent gap analysis performed by the scientists making observations with binoc- Global Genome Initiative at the Smithsoni- ulars, sorting through camera trap photos, an’s Natural History Museum, a listing of all scouring the bushes in search of insects and known species includes 147,246 described sampling a tree leaf for DNA barcoding? genera, yet there are just 17,293 barcode Could the act of volunteering for science in- flags on Genbank. Many new barcodes will crease feelings of biophilia in urban people? not have matches, either because a species Studies on the human dimensions of citizen known to science has not been document- science by eMammal and other projects pro- ed with DNA sequence data, or the species vide a glimpse into the benefits derived

26 side, it is estimated 1.3-2.3 million citizen scientists participate in biodiversity stud- by participants. Several studies have shown ies annually in the U.S. and the number is that spending time in natural environments growing. The human resources are avail- has a number of physiological and psycho- able, technology makes unprecedented logical benefits for people. So what hap- documentation of biodiversity possible, pens when being in the woods is combined and more data can be collected with fewer with collecting data? One eMammal study scientists involved. And there are personal we published in 2016 assessed participant rewards for those that participate. Events experiences and effects on knowledge, skills, like the first nesting pair of ravens in Wash- attitudes and social networks. The findings ington D.C. this year, the first in a century, show participants take satisfaction from and red-tailed hawks successfully breeding participating in eMammal projects because on the National Mall are small, positive they felt they were making a contribution; signs. The first half of the 21st century is being in the woods was associated with a the right time, if not an urgent time, to greater purpose. They also looked forward set the baseline for urban biodiversity, to seeing the photos of wildlife species that which future generations can build upon were hard to see in the wild and frequently to increase human health and well-being mentioned discovering a whole new per- through a healthy, biodiverse environment. spective on wildlife. Without any targeted help from the project team participants showed modest, yet sta- tistically significant gains in their knowl- edge about wildlife. They quickly became skilled at deploying camera traps as well. Within their social networks, participants were 85% more likely to share information on local wildlife and mammal conserva- tion after volunteering, creating a ripple effect from one to many. Interestingly, there was a correlation between the number of carnivores captured in their camera traps and the degree to which the citizen scien- tists shared information within their social networks. It is unknown whether it was the opportunity to see and record charismatic carnivores, or simply capturing rarely seen mammals that triggered the behavior. Collaborations between citizen scientists and a diversity of researchers could trans- form the way we think about urban envi- ronments and our decisions around land use, habitat reconstruction and recoloniza- tion by wildlife. On the human dimension

FEATURE 27 Coyote captured with a camera trap. Photo Credit: Citizen scientist and eMammal project Authors: Robert Costello, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States. William J. McShea, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States. Tavis D. Forrester, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon, United States. Arielle Waldstein Parsons, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Stephanie Schuttler, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States Megan C. Baker-Whatton, The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia, United States. Roland Kays, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States.

28 PROJECT SPOTLIGHT 35 BIODIVERSE CITY: A BRIEF LOOK AT VANCOUVER’S BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY KEVIN FRASER Biodiversity is not necessarily a staple of the urbanite’s lexicon, perhaps unsur- prisingly so. Cities are, after all, dominated by built form. They are our labora- tories of skyward-reaching ambition; veritable fortresses of concrete, steel and glass, insulated from the less-tamed wilds beyond their suburban boundaries. Isn’t biodiversity a matter for these decidedly non-urban places? A measure of biological affluence concerned with our forests and oceans? Perhaps so. But, increasingly, this perception is being challenged. (ALL IMAGES ARE COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN AFFARIS BUREAU)

POLICY PROFILE 29 \"Our Biodiversity Strategy lays the foundation for the sustained ecological health of our city.” The Vancouver Convention Centre’s “Living Roof From Above” Photo Credit: Belinda Chan

30 For those tempted to question urban bio- five principal objectives: logical contributions, you may be surprised. 1. Restore habitats and species. Central Park in New York City – among the 2. Support biodiversity within parks, best-known examples of an urban wildlife ‘hotspot’ – plays host to some 312 recorded streets, and other City-owned lands. species of birds. But it is the realm of the 3. Protect and enhance biodiversity during invisible where the figures become truly staggering. A 2014 study concluded that development. the number of distinct microbes in the soils 4. Celebrate biodiversity through educa- of Central Park rivaled even the most di- verse biomes on Earth. New research from tion and stewardship. the University of Washington in Seattle 5. Monitor biodiversity to track change corroborates the biological allure of cities, suggesting that urban shorelines sup- and measure success. port more marine life than remote areas. A publicly available document, the strate- Cities around the world have taken note. gy identifies priority areas, hot spots, and Christchurch, New Zealand, Boroondara, threats to biodiversity – e.g. habitat loss, Australia, Cape Town, South Africa and even invasive species, and, certainly not least of London, England, are among those that all, climate change. Objectives are expand- have adopted comprehensive biodiversity ed upon with key targets and recommend- strategies in recent years. ed actions. For example, one such target Vancouver, British Columbia, and its lush, is to increase the amount of natural areas, temperate surroundings, makes many cities including forests and wetlands, by 62 acres green with envy. A biologically rich context (25 hectares) by 2020. Importantly, the is no assurance of an urban counterpart, Biodiversity Strategy also proposes various however. Which begs the question: is Van- metrics that can be used to track progress. couver’s sleek, skyscraper-laden downtown The end result is a strategic framework capable of supporting a similarly impres- that, if leveraged properly, should serve to sive range of species? If so, what would it guide policy and development decisions at take to quantify this natural endowment? City Hall. Recognizing its significance, Van- And what would it mean to do so? The City couver Park Board Chair Sarah Kirby-Yung has endeavored to begin to answer these proclaims that the plan “lays the founda- questions, introducing a comprehensive tion for the sustained ecological health of Biodiversity Strategy, officially adopted by our city.” the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recrea- Vancouver has made no secrets about its tion and City Council in February of 2016. green intentions. Most prominent is its Building on the City’s recent green policy Greenest City 2020 Action Plan, which has additions, including its Bird Strategy (2015) inspired aligned initiatives that seek to and Rewilding Action Plan (2014), the Bio- strengthen its resolve. Nick Page, a biolo- diversity Strategy states the following as its gist at the Vancouver Park Board and one of the key figures behind the Biodiversi- ty Strategy, saw an opportunity to tackle a pressing issue that had thus far gone

POLICY PROFILE 31 One of Vancouver’s resident beavers in Lost Lagoon, Stanley Park. Photo Credit: Samuel MacTavish unaddressed. “There was recognition at including one new to British Columbia and the staff level that the City’s Greenest City another that hasn’t been recorded in the Action Plan was ambitious on many sustain- province since 1932. ability goals,” says Page, “but that it did not Other success stories abound. In 2012, address biodiversity specifically.” Moreover, chum salmon were discovered spawning proponents of the strategy lamented the in Still Creek – an urban waterway in East loss of Vancouver’s historical landscape. Vancouver – after an 80-year absence. They Once rife with towering rainforests and have now returned for a fifth year running, crisscrossed by salmon-bearing streams, it a development nothing short of remarka- was largely desecrated prior to the enact- ble given the levels of contamination once ment of preventative environmental con- reached in the widely channelized and servation measures. Here was an opportu- culverted stream. nity to take a major step toward reclaiming 2013 saw an industrious beaver single- its natural heritage. handedly redecorate the human-made wet- While it would be naive to attribute suc- lands of Hinge Park in Vancouver’s Olympic cesses to a single document, Vancouver’s Village. Spotted intermittently in years burgeoning biological livelihood suggests since, the months preceding the official that its adoption is timely. Take the Van- adoption of the Biodiversity Strategy saw couver Convention Centre, for example. its high-profile return; only this time, there Completed in 2009, the now-iconic mul- were two. This past summer, three beaver ti-pitched ‘living roofs’ of the West Build- kits were observed. While Page cautions ing were envisioned as a native meadow that the modest habitat allotment is likely that would provide food and habitat for insufficient to accommodate more than a birds and insects alike. Today, staff from pair of adults, he suspects that the beavers the University of British Columbia’s Beaty will have more success than humans in Biodiversity Museum are conducting an in- solving this conundrum. sect survey that is beginning to shed light on the number of species that frequent its grassy confines. While the report is not yet published and the data are preliminary, 145 species have been surveyed to date,

32 Vancouver, like most cities, stands to learn a great deal through biological introspec- In spite of these occasionally precari- tion. While the scientific measurement ous human-wildlife juxtapositions, Page of successes is still ongoing, it has done hopes the City will continue to embrace itself (and its residents) a favor by rec- notions of biodiversity, solidifying its ognizing and championing the cause of place on the agenda. In his mind, success urban biodiversity. will hinge on two things: “institutional change measured as staff resources and Kevin Fraser is a graduate urban and specific policies that address key biodi- environmental planning student at the versity goals; and an increase in habitat to meet the biodiversity target.”With a University of Virginia, School of first-of-its-kind document, another cru- Architecture cial aspect will be its adaptability. Page cites current emphasis on pollinators as an example of an arguably unanticipated urban planning focus. “Who would have thought ten years ago that [they] would get the emphasis they do now? We need to be flexible, follow the science, connect to public interest, and learn from success- es and failures.” Community planting event at a ‘pollinator pop-up park’ in Vancouver. Photo Credit: Nick Page

POLICY PROFILE 33 Downtown Vancouver’s marine and terrestrial context. Ma, M. (2016, September 15). Floating DNA reveals urban shorelines sup- Photo Credit: Belinda Chan port more animal life. UW Today. Retrieved from http://www.washington. edu/news/2016/09/15/floating-dna-reveals-urban-shorelines-support- References: more-animal-life. Barrett, J. (2013, April 15). Olympic Village gets furry new resident - beaver Pynn, L. (2016, November 02). Chum salmon ‘beat the odds,’ return to Metro moves in. Vancouver Sun. Retrieved from http://www.vancouversun.com/ Vancouver streams. Vancouver Sun. Retrieved from http://vancouversun. technology/Olympic Village gets furry resident beaver moves/8244123/ com/news/local-news/chum-salmon-beat-the-odds-return-to-metro-van- story.html. couver-streams. Beaver resurfaces in Vancouver’s Olympic Village (2016, January 3). CBC University of British Columbia (2016, October 11). Exploring biodiversity News. Retrieved November 28, 2016, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/ on Canada’s largest green roof [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www. canada/british-columbia/beavers-resurfaces-in-vancouver-s-olympic-vil- youtube.com/watch?v=vNsTf_c9Vpc. lage-1.3387873. Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (2016). Biodiversity Strategy. Greenest City Action Team (2009). Vancouver 2020, a bright green future: An Vancouver, BC. Retrieved from http://parkboardmeetings.vancouver. action plan for becoming the world’s greenest city by 2020. Vancouver, BC. ca/2016/20160201/REPORT_BiodiversityStrategy20160201.pdf. Retrieved from http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/bright-green-future.pdf. Vancouver Bird Advisory Committee (2015). Vancouver Bird Strategy. Iacurci, J. (2014, October 2). Manhattan’s Central Park a Microbe Goldmine. Vancouver, BC. Retrieved from http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/vancou- Nature World News. Retrieved from http://www.natureworldnews.com/arti- ver-bird-strategy.pdf. cles/9312/20141002/manhattans-central-park-a-microbe-goldmine.htm. Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (2014). Rewilding Vancouver – Kronbauer, B. (2012, November 19). Salmon return to Vancouver creek for From Sustaining to Flourishing: An Environmental Education and Steward- the first time in 80 years. Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved from http:// ship Action Plan. Vancouver, BC. Retrieved from http://vancouver.ca/files/ www.vancouverisawesome.com/2012/11/19/salmon-return-to-vancouver- cov/enviromental-education-stewardship-action-plan.pdf. creek-for-the-first-time-in-80-years. L Alleman and A. Wright (2016, January 27). Life as a Bird – biodiversity man- agement in New York City [weblog comment]. PLOS Ecology Community. Retrieved from http://blogs.plos.org/ecology/2016/01/27/life-as-a-bird-bio- diversity-management-in-new-york-city.

34 Monarch on purple coneflower Photo Credit: Angelique Hjarding THE BUTTERFLY HIGHWAY: CONNECTING PEOPLE TO NATURE Angelique Hjarding Pollination ecosystem services provided The Butterfly Highway is a grassroots polli- by managed honeybees and native bum- nator habitat program that was created to blebees and butterflies are critical to address declining pollinator habitat in urban maintaining biological diversity as well as residential areas. The program began as a agriculture services necessary for our food part of a research project at the University of systems. Much attention had been focused North Carolina Charlotte as a way to address on conserving pollinator habitat in rural biodiversity conservation and environmen- areas to support agriculture but there is tal justice issues in urban communities in a great need to conserve habitat in urban Charlotte, North Carolina. The Butterfly ecosystems as well. Urban sprawl con- Highway began in 2014, with several com- sumes valuable forest and meadow habitat munities in Charlotte that wanted to beau- and replaces it with weed free lawns and tify their environment by planting native impervious surfaces such as roads and butterfly gardens. Through the Butterfly rooftops. Highway, these communities have

PROJECT PROFILE 35 transformed community gardens, backyard a local to a regional scale. These impacts gardens, public spaces and park fragments have been both environmental and social into new pollinator and wildlife habitats. in nature and long term impacts of the But- The Butterfly Highway has also provided terfly Highway will continue to be studied. opportunities to participate in a community Several important outcomes include: based citizen science project that monitors • Increased habitat for pollinators. Since butterflies and bumblebees. The Butterfly Highway addresses a commu- the program was launched, participants nity identified issue of beautification while in the Butterfly Highway have restored at the same time addressing pollinator more than 850 acres of habitat for pol- habitat loss in urban areas. Participatory linators at over 1100 sites statewide. In Action Research methods were used to addition to sites in North Carolina, there ensure equitable community participation are habitats registered on the Butterfly in project planning, implementation and Highway from Mississippi to New York. research. Community partnerships were • Creating community. Through in depth created to gather input and feedback on interviews with participants, the Butterfly plant selection, garden design and even Highway has been shown to create new the project name was chosen based on asset based connections on a neighbor- community feedback. Though the project hood and community level. Participants focused on creating habitat for all polli- say they feel a closer connection to other nators, the name “Butterfly Highway” was participants in the Butterfly Highway and much more appealing to community mem- that they have an increased connection bers. It was a unanimous decision that no to their neighborhood after participa- one wanted a “Bee Highway” through their tion. Several participants also said that neighborhood though they understood the they have a more favorable view of their importance of bees in their gardens. neighborhood after being a part of the In a relatively short period of time, the project. Butterfly Highway has made impacts from Kids at a community event learning about pollinators Photo Credit: Angelique Hjarding

36 centers. They were partners on a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife • Increased community capacity to Foundation that will provide training address environmental justice issues. for recreation center staff on pollinator Community Alliance for Wildlife (CAW) is habitats and will provide additional a new community based wildlife conser- nature based recreation programming vation organization born in the neigh- for 250 youth at community recreation borhoods that participated in the But- centers. The grant also provides funding terfly Highway in Charlotte. CAW will be for additional Butterfly Highway gar- a chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife dens on county owned land. Federation and founding members were The mayor of the City of Concord, North co-authors of a grant from the National Carolina, signed the National Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Foundation to pilot Federation’s Mayor’s Monarch Pledge an innovative community conservation and hired a full time environmental training program called Wildlife Stew- educator to provide support for creating ards. One of the primary activities of the new pollinator habitats and programs in group will be to address environmental the city. Part of this pledge includes es- justice issues in the community that tablishing new Butterfly Highway sites. affect both people and wildlife. CAW members plant a Butterfly Highway garden at Brisbane Acade- • Increased project capacity. In 2015, the my Preparatory School. Photo Credit: Angelique Hjarding Butterfly Highway was adopted as an official program of the North Caroli- na Wildlife Federation. The increased capacity provided by the North Caroli- na Wildlife Federation has helped the Butterfly Highway grow into a statewide community-based environmental resto- ration initiative. From backyard ‘Pollina- tor Pitstops’ to large-scale roadside hab- itat restoration, the program is working to create a network of native flowering plants to support butterflies, bees, birds, and other pollen and nectar dependent wildlife. While there is still a focus on restoring habitat in urban spaces, the program has opened up opportunities for restoring habitat on farms, roadsides and in utility right of way corridors. • Partnerships with local government agencies and municipalities. Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation joined the Butterfly Highway early on by adding 20 Butterfly Highway sites at nature centers, recreation centers and senior

PROJECT PROFILE 37 CAW nest box project Photo Credit: Angelique Hjarding • Corporate partnerships. Private landown- local level. Increasing awareness about ers manage much of the land in urban ar- pollinator conservation and expanding the eas and on the rural urban fringe. Through Butterfly Highway in North Carolina is a top the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, priority for the North Carolina Wildlife Fed- the Butterfly Highway has partnered with eration. The Community Alliance for Wildlife several regional utility companies to cre- and research partners from the University ate new pollinator habitat in utility right of North Carolina Charlotte will continue to of ways. The program is also working with work towards utilizing the Butterfly High- solar companies to explore ways to create way as an intervention to address social and pollinator habitat as a part of new solar environmental justice issues in urban com- array installations. munities of color. Together, these and other organizations that have adopted the But- The Butterfly Highway project has proven terfly Highway will provide a safe haven for to be a successful intervention to reconnect native plants, bees and butterflies and create communities with nature. Part of the success healthier cities for humans and wildlife. can be attributed to the participatory nature of the project that places an emphasis on Angelique Hjarding environmental conservation informed by lo- University of North Carolina Charlotte cal knowledge. The project has also worked to build community assets that benefit both North Carolina Wildlife Federation humans and wildlife in a positive non-con- [email protected] flict oriented way. Looking towards the future, the Butterfly References: Highway project will be a primary mecha- Butterfly Highway. North Carolina Wildlife Federation. nism to affect change on both a regional and http://www.butterflyhighway.org. North Carolina Wildlife Federation. http://www.ncwf.org.

38 Neighborhood towards South Photo Credit: Ron Savage PARQUE MIRADOR DEL SUR Parque Mirador del Sur (Mirador del Sur Mirador del Sur City Park city park) is to Santo Domingo, the Domin- Ron Savage ican Republic, what Central Park is to New York City. Santo Domingo, with a popula- very high rate of urbanization, and draw- tion of more than 3.2 million people and ing migrants from other countries such a footprint of approximately 1,200 square as Venezuela, Italy and the United States. kilometers, sits on the south-central coast Parque Mirador del Sur, meaning “southern of the island of Hispaniola. Santo Domingo viewpoint park” in Spanish, is probably the was the first successful permanent set- foremost urban park in the Caribbean, and tlement in the New World, established by one that “Santo Dominicans” are rightfully Bartholomew Colon in the year 1496. Today, proud of. Santo Domingo is not only the nation’s capital, but also the economic center of the The Parque Mirador del Sur (PMdS) was es- entire Caribbean region. The city is a mag- tablished in 1970 and designed by Domini- net for people from all over the country, can architect Christian Martinez. Measuring contributing to the Dominican Republic’s approximately 6 kilometers (km) in length by .5 km in width, PMdS is a longitudinal park, straddled by major boulevards and

PROJECT PROFILE 39 surrounded by towering modern high-rise Ironically, while the park now exists within apartment buildings, lower income housing, the confines of a large modern metropol- and industrial zones. It sits approximately itan area, one of the initial reasons for one kilometer inland from the ocean and preserving the land in this part of the city from various locations in the park one can had to do with the vestiges of Taino indian see over the older residential neighbor- rock drawings and dwellings that could be hoods and industries to the ocean. One found within the caves and limestone sink- very interesting feature of the park is that a holes in the area. Thus the PMdS continues major through street, Avenida Mirador del to contain several important archaeological Sur, which traverses the length of the park sites where the original residents of the is closed to cars from 5 pm to 7 am week- island, the Tainos, lived until the arrival days and 24 hours a day during the week- of Europeans. Today, however, the park is ends, permitting only bicycling, skating, and frequented by a mix of people from all walking instead. The routine closing of the social and ethnic groups, particularly those boulevard resolves what would have been that live in the diverse neighborhoods a fatal flaw in the design of the park and surrounding the park. Interestingly, the fact allows it to be used safely throughout the that the PMdS lies towards the southwest- day. The city and local police departments ern part of the city, away from the Colonial have also coordinated closely to ensure the Zone, and lacks museums, means that it is security of park visitors by establishing a rarely visited by tourists. Nonetheless, the small police station in the park, stationing PMdS has something to offer just about police officers at critical locations through- everyone and contributes to the wellbeing out the park and conducting roving patrols. of city residents in many ways. The addition of around-the-clock security has been key to encouraging park use. Park infrastructure is minimal and consists of an administrative office, a small police station, a handful of parking areas, a small lake and restaurant complex, a small miniature golf- snack bar complex and a concert shell. The park houses a small municipal composting facility and tree nursery, which provides various ornamental plants for planting around the city and within the park itself. It also has a small educational center and interpretative facility that was funded by the Japanese Government, that is often visited by school groups. Nonetheless, there is considerable potential to upgrade this facility to make it more relevant as a “hub” for environmental education. Cyclists on path in Parque Mirador del Sur Photo Credit: Ron Savage

40 of the limestone sinkholes; these fan out over the city nightly, consuming untold When it comes to recreation the park of- millions of mosquitos, and contributing to fers something for virtually everyone. The reducing the risk of serious vector borne park includes a variety of outdoor recre- diseases such as dengue, chikungunya ational features including children’s play and zika for city residents. areas, basketball courts, baseball fields, While offering many amenities and ser- walking and cycling routes, and bicycle, vices, PMdS is not without a number of skate and peddle boat rentals. Most of the significant challenges. Unfortunately, trails are wheelchair and handicapped PMdS is a victim of its own popularity and friendly, thus increasing the park’s appeal is suffering from many of the ailments to people using wheeled transport modes. from which popular public parks are likely When it comes to amenities there are a to suffer. For example, the lack of park- number of small restaurants around the ing space at the park means that visitors periphery, including a couple that are nes- often tend to park on green spaces or in tled underground in limestone sinkholes, other inappropriate locations. The park and a handful of roaming coconut and ice also has been suffering from inappro- cream vendors. There are a variety of per- priate trash disposal, due to the lack of manent exercise areas (with weatherproof trash bins and recycling options; however, equipment) and a number of enterprising the recent installation of a large number individuals give yoga, Zumba, and a vari- of bins has helped remedy the problem. ety of exercise classes for young and old Nonetheless, many park visitors tend to alike. This means that the park attracts a not exert themselves while looking for variety of people and that visitation con- trash bins and tend to throw trash in tinues to grow. any convenient location. The park is also suffering from trampling in many areas, The Mirador del Sur city park is vital from particularly in locations where visitors ecological and environmental perspec- have tended to regularly set up baseball tives as well. Much of the park sits upon a and soccer fields. In addition, the park karst geological formation that is highly staff lack training and incentives to man- porous thus absorbing much of the water age the park’s vegetation properly, often that runs off the city streets to the north planting trees in inappropriate locations of the park. In addition, the park is home and not taking proper care of the plants to a variety of flora and fauna, much of that are there. Finally, the day-to-day it native, but also many introduced spe- management of the park has suffered cies, that are only able to exist in the few from inconsistent resourcing and supervi- fragments of green space that remain in sion. Santo Domingo. In the park one can easily It was with considerable wisdom and observe endemic species of palms and foresight that Parque Mirador del Sur was shrubs, as well as unique birds such as the first established in 1970. Since then the Vervain and Emerald Hummingbirds, His- city of Santo Domingo has mushroomed paniolan Parakeet and palm chats, as well into a sprawling metropolitan mass, as a number of reptile and insect spe- cies that are characteristic of the coastal plains of Hispaniola. Also, small popula- tions of bats continue to reside in several

PROJECT PROFILE 41 View Towards Restaurant Photo Credit: Ron Savage characterized by an overall lack of green the sprawl and traffic of Santo Domingo, space, limited recreation areas, extremely thus attracting thousands of people of all poor walking conditions for pedestrians shapes and sizes that frequent the park and significant concerns about citizen se- for relaxation, recreation and enjoyment. curity. Indeed, the lack of urban planning, I’m sure that all would agree that it has a bias towards automobiles, and an over- become an important part of the daily reliance on concrete and asphalt instead cycle of life for many city residents and of green infrastructure, means that Parque helps to make their lives so much better. Mirador del Sur has become increasingly Hopefully all stakeholders will continue vital for maintaining the quality of life to manage the park as the invaluable and and wellbeing of city residents, particular- irreplaceable resource that it is. ly those who live within its area of influ- ence. Indeed, the park is a vibrant, green Ron Savage is the Climate Change oasis; “a relative sea of tranquillity”, that Office Chief for the U.S. Agency helps to mitigate the “urban heat island effect” that a large built up mass like for International Development in Santo Domingo is bound to produce. It is Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic also offers a respite from the madness of

42 Environmental Education and Stewardship Photo Credit: Urban Releaf KEMBA SHAKUR: ON A ‘RELEAFING’ MISSION IN OAKLAND Tim Beatley Kemba Shakur founded the nonprofit Urban The work of Urban Releaf is not top- Releaf in 1998, with the goal of trans- down but community-based, and trees forming many of the least affluent parts of are planted by individuals, organizations the City of Oakland from largely gray and and companies. Much of the tree planting, barren places to living environments of and more recently sidewalk gardening trees and greenspaces. Shakur who worked and green rooftop installation, happens for a time as a prison guard at Soledad through events. Shakur tells about a recent state prison, famously observed when she event she was especially excited about, in moved to Oakland that there were more honor of Muhammad Ali, and involving a trees on the grounds of the prison than on well-known Bay area rapper, Mistah Fab. her street. In fact there was not a single Partners for this event include the East tree on her Oakland street. “It was street Oakland and Lightning’s Boxing Clubs, after street of no greenery,” she told me in with support from Eureka Bank, Calfire, and a recent phone interview. She has devoted PG&E, among others. These tree planting most of adult life to changing these condi- events sound much like community parties, tions. with music and fun and often many activi- ties to engage kids. And the video of

PROJECT PROFILE 43 the event posted later on YouTube certainly tones, about the two men she had to lay off shows the extent of the fun and also the because of limited funding. One was later personal and organizational efforts that go convicted of murder, the other shot and into these events. killed while breaking up a fight. The story In Shakur’s daily work, she draws from her was testament to the tough urban setting love of nature and gardening. Growing up that kids and young people in neighbor- in Hunters Point, a poor neighborhood in hoods of color face in cities like Oakland. San Francisco, she remembers fondly the This sense of the potential of trees and trips to nature she would take with her tree-planting to profoundly change the mother: “She took us to parks, both her and lives of these young people for the better my dad, every chance they got. We went seems a deep motivation for what she does to Big Basin and Big Sur, Yosemite, just so with Urban Releaf. She mentions her friend many of the natural parks. Stinson Beach, Mohammed Nuru, who ran the successful up and down the coast. Big Basin was my non-profit SLUG (San Francisco League of favorite.” She has clearly absorbed this ear- Urban Gardeners), and how time spent with ly love of nature, and also love for growing him convinced her of the potential of this food, and applies them every day in her model in impacting lives. work in Oakland. Tribute to Muhammad Ali Planting There is a strong social justice dimension Photo Credit: Urban Releaf to Shakur’s work. Oakland is itself a micro- cosm of the economic and social disparities in many cities, and these disparities mani- fest clearly in the extent of “greenness.”The City’s poor and minority flatlands of East Oakland stand in contrast to the leafy afflu- ent Oakland Hills. Over its nearly two-decade history, Urban Releaf has accomplished much, including the planting and maintenance of some 20,000 trees. The organization has trained many in the community in how to maintain and care for these trees, and helped shape the career paths of many disadvantaged youth in the process. She points to her own son, who has become an arborist, as evi- dence of the power of imagining a profes- sional path inspired by this work. She also notes the continuing struggles for the better. She tells me, in regretful

44 She says, “I noticed the young people in Urban Forest Education & Steward- Hunters Point had jobs. They had pride... ship Training Program (UFEST) As we were going [along], a young man Photo Credit: Urban Releaf flagged him [Nuru] down and invited him to his wedding. So I’m, like, wow. This ing flowing from California’s innovative doesn’t happen unless people are secure cap and trade program. Companies can in a job.” Creating jobs is a key goal and a purchase pollution credits which go into a key lesson for Shakur. state fund to support greenhouse gas-re- “It’s the tough part of employment in duction projects. Urban tree-planting is communities of color and cities like Oak- already benefitting, and as a result of Sen- land. It’s really one of the main reasons ate Bill 535, at least 25% of these climate that I stay here. I love trees and canopy, funds must be spent on projects that and I think we all love it here, but the benefit disadvantaged neighborhoods. other side of it is having the capacity to Urban Releaf has a small staff of around really hire and train young people be- ten, and much of its work happens cause it’s really life and death in terms through a variety of partnerships, with of what their future could hold if you get organizations from the Girl Scouts to the them through those critical years. It can Mennonite church. Many involve working keep them out of a lot of trouble and idle with troubled kids--for instance through time.” organizations like Berkeley Youth Alterna- Maintaining a healthy and sustainable tives, and through the Weekend Training level of funding remains a challenge for Academy, which serves as an alternative Shakur. One bright spot is the new fund- to detention for juvenile youth offenders. Recently Shakur and her team have been helping to plant trees as part of an initia- tive to “re-oak” the city. Oakland is one of the largest cities to be named after a tree, and this species holds a special place

PROJECT PROFILE 45 in the history of the city, though through She describes the pride she feels when development it has gradually lost most of she sees trees planted by her crew for the these oak trees. first time. “Then, you see it and it’s, like, oh Shakur spoke to me about the pride of I’m so proud of that. That’s our tree! It’s so what she and Oakland Releaf have ac- beautiful. It’s the perfect job. It’s the best complished. “I think at the end of the day job in the world.” I’m most proud of the fact that I created something that brought people together, References: that brought all kinds of people together.” Urban Releaf. http://www.urbanreleaf.org. She also speaks of the personal solace she Urban Relead (2016, Oct 29). Tribute to Muhammed gets from trees. She refers to them as her Ali Planting Oct - 2016 [Video File]. Retrieved from “sanctuary,” and speaks of the pleasure she https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qnAP9SOA9I. gets from just watering the trees. There is a clear pride in bringing beauty and na- ture to struggling urban neighborhoods. Community Involvement Photo Credit: Urban Releaf

46 Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge Photo Credit: Mike Houck OAKS BOTTOM PORTLAND, OREGON MIKE HOUCK The 160-acre Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, was the first formally designated urban wildlife refuge in Portland. In the middle dis- tance, sitting in the middle of the Willamette River, is the four island Ross Island archipel- ago (Ross, Hardtack, East and Toe) 45 acres of which was recently donated to Portland Parks and Recreation by Ross Island Sand and Gravel. Holgate Channel, the narrow channel between Oaks Bottom and the islands is now a wake- free zone where families can canoe, kayak and bird watch without the noise and wakes asso- ciated with high speed motorized activities. In the distance is the downtown Portland skyline. Oaks Bottom, Ross Island, and the riparian habitat along the Willamette River comprise 400 acres of significant fish and wildlife habitat and access to nature in the heart of Oregon’s largest city. Mike Houck is the Director of the Urban Greenspaces Institute

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT 47

48 Exploring Biophilic Cities as Flourishing Cities An Interview with Corey Keyes and Tim Beatley Edited by Carla Jones The Biophilic Cities Project had the How did the idea evolve? What makes pleasure of interviewing Dr. Corey Keyes, flourishing different as a way of framing Winship Distinguished Research Profes- mental health? sor of Sociology at Emory University. Dr. Corey Keyes: Keyes coined the term “flourishing” to I would define flourishing as a state in describe the presence of positive mental which you feel good about a life in which health characteristics rather than solely you are functioning well. It’s not just the absence of mental illness. Keyes has feeling good about your life: it’s about been conducting research on flourishing feeling good about a life where you feel since the late 1990s and has found that you’re functioning well with purpose, con- flourishing individuals have the lowest tribution, belonging, and acceptance. You risk of cardiovascular disease, lowest need curiosity, concern, and connection to number of chronic physical diseases, and achieve these things. lower health care utilization, among other In 1998 and 1999, I was finishing up some health benefits (Keyes, 2007). We inter- work on well-being, specifically looking at viewed Dr. Keyes to explore the relation- a concept called social well-being, which ship between flourishing, nature, and is near and dear to my heart. As I came to urban life. see these different components of subjec- Tim Beatley: tive well-being, it occurred to me that we Here at the Biophilic Cities Project, we are had a long list of signs and symptoms of trying to better understand the benefits positive mental health. of nature-ful cities. The concept of “flour- Additionally, there is this long-standing ishing” seems like an important one for us to better understand. What is flourishing?

PIONEER INTERVIEW 49 interest in psychology and sociology in tion mental health. I brought these ideas terms of social indicators. Scholars were together by writing measurement rules interested in emotional well-being: hap- and introduced the concept in 1999. piness, enjoyment, and pleasure. There’s I chose the term flourishing because the always been an interest in that form of word mental health is a rather confusing happiness and well-being. In fact, in my term to many people. It’s also used some- opinion, perhaps way too much. times interchangeably in two ways: men- During my Ph.D., I worked with Carol tal illness or absence of mental illness. I Ritz and introduced this notion of social wanted to be very clear to the world that well-being that mirrored psychological I was talking not about the absence of well-being. Only the shift was looking at mental illness, but the presence of good getting away from emotions and emo- mental health. Since 1999, we’ve done a tional well-being and starting to focus on lot of research at the genetic level and at how people are functioning in the world. the societal level. We now know that we Psychological well-being to me repre- can prevent mental illness by promoting sented the pronouns I and me while what the concept of flourishing in the popula- was missing was the pronouns we and us. tion and there are more and more studies Once we mapped these relationships being released supporting this. out it occurred to me – I had created a Per the World Health Organization, de- diagnosis for positive mental health that pression is already the second-leading sort of mirrored the psychiatric diagnosis. cause of burden to societies. By 2030, if Only I was interested in moving beyond we don’t change what we’re doing, it will the psychiatric treatment model as the be the leading problem. My efforts have modus operandi for dealing with popula- been focused on bringing this concept of Dr. Corey Keyes is the Winship Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology at Emory University who researches positive mental health, known as flourishing

50 flourishing into mainstream public health Corey Keyes: and health care systems. This is based on No, I’m not against the term. In fact, I want the premise that if we were to engage in the word to be reclaimed in the way that promoting and protecting the things that the Greeks thought about it because their promote flourishing, we could prevent the notion was that we should create a socie- exacerbation of mental illness. But it goes ty of people who essentially are philoso- beyond that, I’ve shown in my studies phers. I think that was the point of philos- depression is barely the tip of the iceberg. ophy and that was the point of happiness. There are lots of people who aren’t men- It was speaking much more deeply about tally ill or depressed but are not flour- life and not just about an individual and ishing. This population presents a bigger his or her feelings, but your community problem to society than depression alone. and equality. I think that’s what happiness I’m now focused on interventions that can is about. It wasn’t just a feeling, but an be used at various levels and sectors. invitation to think seriously about life. Tim Beatley: Tim Beatley: You’ve discussed the limitations of the What do you think about the potential of word “happiness,” yet you use the term in designing and planning communities with the courses you teach and in the way you an emphasis on the natural world to help talk about flourishing. It sounds like you’re people flourish by the measures you’ve not against the term itself, but you’re de- laid out? fining it in a deeper way. Is that a correct interpretation?