PRESS RELEASE 

For Immediate Release: Friday, October 21, 2011 

Press Contact: Gloria Chan, Dept. of Public Works, 415-554-6926

CITY UNVEILS SIDEWALK LANDSCAPE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT 

Event Featured Ceremonial Tree Planting by Students and Video Tutorials about 

How to Convert Concrete Into Viable Green Space

San Francisco, CA – The Department of Public Works (DPW), the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society, the San Francisco Parks Alliance, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, community partners and Argonne Elementary School students unveiled a demonstration sidewalk garden today at Argonne Elementary School. The event featured a ceremonial tree planting by Argonne students and sidewalk landscaping video tutorials to educate and inspire residents, schools, businesses and other city agencies on how to transform and revitalize the sidewalk into mini-gardens.

“San Francisco is a leader in how we convert our underutilized streets and public spaces into dynamic areas of green space. I commend the individuals and organizations involved for working together to find creative ways to unlock every inch of San Francisco’s greening potential; helping to reinforce our position as one of the greenest cities in North America,” said Mayor Edwin M. Lee. 

Fortuitous timing led to the culmination of the Argonne Demonstration Sidewalk Garden project. For ten years, Argonne Elementary School students have been visiting the Children’s Garden at the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society through the Youth Education Program. One of the goals of the school was to establish a garden of their own in an effort to green their campus as well as promote interaction among students and the natural world. Upon learning about the Grey2Green grant which aims to promote and educate people about the urban forest, the school was selected to pilot the greening and community benefits of sidewalk landscaping. The project includes 15 varieties of California Native plants and converted 240 square feet of concrete sidewalk into bee and butterfly habitat. The project took three months to complete. During today’s ceremony, students planted a Strawberry Tree (Arbutus Marina), a species of tree known for its flowering and edible berries.

“This project represents an opportunity for us to alter the landscapes of our neighborhoods to make them more beautiful, inviting, and sustainable,” said District One Supervisor Eric Mar. “It is also a shining example of the power of partnerships between city agencies and citizens to create and fund ideas that bring the community together and enrich the lives of our youth.”

The garden is partly funded by an $80,000 grant from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire). The primary goal of the grant was to provide education to residents and through Grey2Green workshops which were hosted monthly to guide residents on the permitting, design and maintenance process to transform their sidewalks including plant and tree species recommendations. Around 250 residents have attended the workshops. The final workshop of the year will be held on Saturday, November 12 at the County Fair Building at the San Francisco Botanical Garden located on 9th Avenue at Lincoln Way. A series of short video tutorials were also developed to walk through the permitting process as a part of this grant. More information can be found at www.sfbotanicalgarden.org/Grey2Green/

“Grey2Green is a remarkable partnership that engages residents, businesses, and city agencies on beautifying the urban landscape,” said Mohammed Nuru, Interim Director of the San Francisco Department of Public Works. “Sidewalk landscaping has huge benefits to our quality of life and Public Works is committed to expanding this initiative so that we continue to make San Francisco a beautiful, vibrant, and sustainable city.”

DPW’s Sidewalk Landscaping Permit program aims to improve the beauty and sustainability of San Francisco by helping property owners transform their cement sidewalks into diverse gardens that beautify neighborhoods, create habitats for pollinators, improve the health of existing urban trees, provide spaces for gardens, absorb stormwater and reduce carbon emissions. To date, approximately 1,200 property owners have applied to transform their cement sidewalks into mini-gardens; 875 have had their permits and plans approved.

"Our school community has been transformed by this partnership with Grey2Green,” said Tina Eshaghpour, Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) Green Argonne Chair. “We have seen concrete sidewalk, where people dump trash, transformed into a learning and community meeting place, where students delight in the butterflies that visit and neighbors pause to give us a smile and express appreciation for making our street more beautiful.”

The Argonne Demonstration Sidewalk Garden project is a partnership with the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society, San Francisco Unified School District, San Francisco Parks Alliance, and the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department with funding from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire).

DPW is responsible for the care and maintenance of San Francisco’s streets and much of its 

infrastructure. The department cleans and resurfaces streets; plants and maintains City street trees; designs, constructs and maintains city-owned facilities; inspects streets and sidewalks; constructs curb ramps; removes graffiti from public property; and partners with the diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco to provide stellar cleaning and greening services. For more information, please visit www.sfdpw.org

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