How can public spaces serve the needs of people & ecologies?

This project reimagines public seating as smart wildlife corridors to support urban wildlife migration and engage the public in a conversation about what it means to invite wilderness back into our cities.

Research and Development

It’s estimated that in the next 50 years, 70% of the world’s population will be living in cities. Now the questions is: how can we make these urban environments more inclusive of biodiversity in order to form more resilient urban environments?

Target Species: The Grey Fox

Indicator species are useful because their presence tells us the relative health of the ecosystem. Carnivorous mammals are indicator species because they are higher up on the food chain and so represent the entire umbrella of animal species underneath them. These foxes reside on the fringes of urban development. They are territorial, elusive, nocturnal, and prefer to move under the cover of trees and brush. They are also very adaptable and can successfully navigate the challenging city landscape to find food. Their populations are at risk because of habitat fragmentation, and so they need corridor linkages so they can keep their populations healthy.

Greenbelts as Wildlife Corridors

Greenbelts connect communities to resources like public transportation and local businesses. They also provide an accessible link to nature which has been shown to have direct impact on mental and physical well being

Greenbelts are known as ecotones, which are where two overlapping ecosystems intersect. These transitional ecosystems usually have a higher concentration of wildlife because they form natural corridors for wildlife in each ecosystem to pass through. This is known as the Edge Effect.

Ohlone Greenbelt Parkway - North Berkeley

This site was chosen because of its large field of grass which provides little cover for wildlife to take shelter in. By placing the benches here, the space is activated for people during the day and provides useful cover for animals migrating at night.

Analyzing Probable Migration Corridors

The Ohlone Greenway connects two partially exposed watersheds that connect Tilden Regional Park in the hills and the bayshore wetlands. Based on this information and animal sightings pulled from iNaturalist.org, the Ohlone Greenway became a clear choice to site this design.

Future Development

This project was a selected finalist for the 2019 CCA Impact Award. It is currently in a fundraising phase.

Wildlife Corridor Bench