How does Urban Ecology help to build healthier, more vibrant neighborhoods?

Community outreach and visioning

Listening is the first step in building vibrant neighborhoods.

We learn what community members like and don’t like about their neighborhoods, and what aspirations they have for the future. From diverse perspectives, we craft a collective vision for change.

Planning and design

With community members committed to change, we begin to plan for a healthier, more vibrant neighborhood.

Learning from best-practice examples around the country, we educate our partner organizations about the trade-offs involved in achieving neighborhood goals. Then we create physical drawings to articulate a vision for the future, and we produce detailed written plans to lay the foundation for change.

Turning vision into action

In the end, change comes by putting plans into action.

We reach out to policy makers, developers, elected officials, and other nonprofit organizations to advocate for change. We push for public and private investment, educate policymakers and the public about what is possible, and press for policy reform to help communities realize their vision.

To learn more about what we do, take a closer look at some of our current projects and success stories.