{"id":27,"date":"2024-12-16T18:58:52","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T18:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalfutures.asu.edu\/sustainabilitysolutions\/?page_id=27"},"modified":"2026-05-01T19:44:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T19:44:10","slug":"urban-nature","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/globalfutures.asu.edu\/sustainabilitysolutions\/projects\/urban-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"Urban Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Urban Nature<\/h1>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Home<\/a><\/span> \/ Projects<\/a><\/span> \/ Urban Nature<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Urban Nature, led by Arizona State University\u2019s Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service \u2014 in partnership with community-based organizations, industry partners, national organizations, and several ASU departments — works directly with Valley residents to co-create Neighborhood Tree Action Plans while expanding pathways into skilled jobs to grow and sustain our urban tree canopy. Our Urban Nature program is a community trade school, offering expert instruction, field training, hands-on experiences, industry-standard assessments, internship opportunities, and real pathways for folks interested in starting rewarding careers or launching and scaling thriving businesses across all urban forestry sectors to support the full life cycle of tree. This project is a $5 million Justice40 Initiative funded by the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program, part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
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Outcomes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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ASU researchers documented and analyzed 2,066 data points from City of Phoenix listening sessions. Resident input, heat vulnerability mapping, tree canopy mapping, and community readiness enabled ASU and municipal and community partners to select priority neighborhoods and identify specific community needs. More than 250 residents in two City of Phoenix neighborhoods have been engaged since the program launch. ASU researchers designed and implemented Shade for All workshops that included a \u201cDreams of Shade\u201d community learning game, drawing on the generative capacity of serious play to create a shared learning experience. Residents at the workshops came to better understand the difficulties and complexities, street by street, of increasing the tree and shade canopy in their neighborhoods, and ASU researchers and city leaders better understand the values, priorities, and experiences that need to inform a tailored neighborhood shade strategy and implementation of tree action plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ASU compiled resources for urban forestry workforce education and development, which included infrastructure documentation, core curriculum content, and credentialing pathways and insights into urban forestry value chains and career pathways. Community and industry partners then worked with ASU to co-design paid, hands-on urban forestry courses that map to green jobs. ASU is also working with industry partners and anchor institutions to design paid internship opportunities that support new urban forestry industry professionals making their way into green jobs. This effort simultaneously increases economic opportunities for Valley residents and also develops a method for addressing a significant labor shortage in key industry sectors. The program has already graduated 12 tree stewards in City of Tempe. Another thirty six residents in City of Phoenix are making their way through Urban Nature experiential learning courses teaching landscape design, irrigation design and implementation, tree care, tree removal, and soil building. In addition, one community leader is now a certified arborist, and 14 other community leaders are currently on their way to becoming Arizona Certified Landscape Professionals.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Quotes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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For almost one year now, I had the pleasure to work with Dr. Clifton and Mrs. Marseille from the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Services at Arizona State University. During that time, we collaborated to incorporate community input and engagement into an Urban Forestry program that will transform our communities. This experience has been one of true collaboration and partnership. They have been an inspiration of how academia can work with community-based organizations to create innovation, inclusiveness and sustainability at the community level.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\tEmma Viera, PhD, MPH, Executive Director, Unlimited Potential<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n
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Project partners<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u25cf  Arizona Landscape Contractors Association<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  Arizona Conservation Corps<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  Orchard Learning Community Center<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  Spaces of Opportunity<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  Unlimited Potential<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  Watershed Management Group<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  ASU – The Design School<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  ASU – Department of English<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf \u00a0ASU – Central Arizona-Phoenix Long Term Ecological<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u25cf \u00a0City of Phoenix<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  City of Mesa<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf \u00a0City of Tempe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  Town of Guadalupe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  The Nature Conservancy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  American Forests<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  Arizona Nursery Association<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  International Society of Arboriculture<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  Bartlett Tree Experts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cf  US Forest Services<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

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Urban Nature in the media<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Life-saving landscaping: ASU program works to increase shade on Phoenix’s sidewalks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

March 18, 202<\/strong>6 | ASU News<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urban Nature works with neighborhoods in Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, and Guadalupe that have limited shade to create tree-planting plans, using 3D software to model how much shade trees could provide at different times of day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on ASU News<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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ASU leads new effort to get trees \u2014 and their benefits \u2014 into Valley areas that need them most<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

November 19, 2024<\/strong> | kjzz.org<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arizona State University is leading a new effort to create community forestry plans in neighborhoods across the Valley. The Greater Phoenix Urban Forestry Accelerator is a three-year, $5 million project funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on kjzz.org<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Urban forestry accelerator aims to boost green infrastructure, economic growth in Phoenix<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

August 05, 2024<\/strong> | ASU News<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From seeking out the best parking spot to shuffling for that one thin stretch of shadow while waiting for an unhurried crosswalk signal, many Arizona residents understand a common feeling: Under the heat of the summer sun, shade is invaluable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on ASU News<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Urban Nature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This collaborative three-year project works directly with residents to co-create actionable Neighborhood Tree Action Plans while supporting economic growth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tVisit Urban Nature <\/a>\n\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t
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