Our goal at Greenbelt Alliance is to conserve the Bay Area’s natural and agricultural landscapes while promoting smart urban development that creates healthier, thriving communities. One of the most important policy tools that city planners can use to achieve this goal is the urban growth boundary. What Is An Urban Growth Boundary? An urban growth boundary (UGB) separates urban areas from the surrounding natural and agricultural lands, or greenbelts. It puts a limit on how fa

Blight has been a problem plaguing the Buena Vista Neighborhood for some time, one of major sources of this blight comes from the illegal dumping of furniture, mattress, and other garbage on the streets. Buena Vista has a number of hot-spots, and one the biggest is the fragmented parcel along the bend in Chiechi Ave. This city owned land is unused and largely ignored by the neighborhood and its out-of-the-way location makes it easy for people to drop stuff off and drive awa

Someone once mentioned in passing to me that the 21st Century would be the century of the landscape architect. This makes sense in the face of a dramatic shift away from endless suburban and exurban development to a more urban future. Urban parks, trails, and plazas are essential elements of cities as more people choose to live in compact, walkable neighborhoods—they are the community’s backyard. In a San Jose neighborhood like Buena Vista—which is densely populated, slated f