Land Use & Open Space Conservation

Fellow Story

Jensen publishes op-ed on rooftop solar supporting land conservation

Nick Jensen and colleague Laura Deehan write in the Sacramento Bee that California has the power to meet a large portion of its renewable energy goals without disturbing important habitats and open space.
March 5, 2022
Fellow Story

McElwee paper assesses cultural ecosystem services in Vietnam

Cultural ecosystem services provide multiple benefits to people through material and non-material means. There have been few studies of CES in Vietnam, despite a number of traditions that have long influenced landscape values and management.
February 9, 2022
Fellow Story

Jensen quoted in the Guardian and LAist on lawsuit against Tejon Ranch development

“We know that under the right conditions, houses will burn, and people will be faced with the tragedy of losing their houses, their livelihoods and potentially their lives,” said Nick Jensen. “Are these projects really worth it?”
February 7, 2022
Fellow Story

2021 Switzer Fellows Book List

Check out the books authored, edited or co-authored by Switzer Fellows in 2021 and dive into topics such as Indigenous teachings, the biology of climate change and sustainable urban planning.
January 27, 2022
Fellow Story

Patterson quoted in Grist about Detroit highway removal and reparations

“Throughout the country, urban freeways were routed through Black neighborhoods, resulting in the malicious division and forced displacement of Black neighborhoods, as well as local Black economies,” said Regan Patterson.
January 6, 2022
Fellow Story

‘We scientists engage in soft diplomacy’: Mongabay Q&A with Christine Wilkinson

Christine shares why hyenas get such a bad rap, her dream of a solar-powered camera-trap grid, and her work bringing together other African American scientists in mammalogy.
January 6, 2022
Fellow Story

Wheeler authors Reimagining Sustainable Cities: Strategies for Designing Greener, Healthier, More Equitable Communities

The book argues that structural change in institutions and socioeconomic systems and a creative process of design—including design of institutions and social structures as well as physical places—is necessary to move towards urban sustainability.
December 14, 2021
Fellow Story

Morello-Frosch and Cushing map more than 400 toxic sites in California at risk of flooding from sea level rise

This three-year project, dubbed Toxic Tides, is the first systematic look at the environmental justice ramifications of sea level rise and hazardous sites along the entire coast of California.
December 1, 2021
Fellow Story

Patterson authors policy brief on autonomous vehicles and a just transition for Black drivers

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation has released a policy brief entitled Driverless Jobs: Autonomous Vehicles & A Just Transition for Black Drivers, authored by Regan Patterson. This report:
October 27, 2021
Foundation News

Light pollution: an environmental issue that affects us all

Avalon C.S. Owens led a discussion of how light pollution impacts people and the planet, reviewed current recommendations of easy, energy-saving ways to protect the night and shared about her Ph.D. research into effects of light pollution on fireflies. Find a recap of the event and resources here.
September 30, 2021