Can we gain the benefits of restoring nature while making our cities denser and protecting natural and working lands?

Together with SPUR and the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, SFEI developed and tested a set of strategies for accommodating future urban growth while delivering more nature-based benefits in cities and surrounding rural areas. Integrating Planning with Nature shows how nature-based solutions can be incorporated from downtown San José to Coyote Valley upstream to build climate resilience and deliver quantifiable ecosystem services.

New guide demonstrates how sports can benefit nature in cities

While sports and nature often occupy and compete for the same green spaces in cities, well-planned sports infrastructure can make positive contributions to urban biodiversity. A new guide published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee and SFEI, identifies key ecological criteria that city officials and sports venue developers can apply to incorporate the needs of nature in their planning.

Using SFEI’s Urban Biodiversity Framework to create an Ecological Innovation District

The City of Sunnyvale is incorporating urban ecology into the Moffett Park Specific Plan as part of creating an ecological innovation district. We applied the Urban Biodiversity Framework to identify opportunities, develop strategies, and offer ecological guidance for making a biodiversity-friendly district. The Moffett Park Specific Plan Urban Ecology Technical Study shows how we can incorporate a network of high-performance nature to improve health outcomes, build resilience, support biodiversity, enhance human experience, and establish a unique sense of place.