Design Dialogue

Resolving Tradeoffs Between Biodiversity and Human Health Support in Native Planting

Speaker: Vanessa Lee

How to design native plants in urban spaces to foster both human health and urban biodiversity? One important step is to be cognizant of tradeoffs aside from co-benefits. The talk will share insights from the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI)’s newly released Ecology for Health guide, which provides science-based guidance to help local plant experts, designers, and planners create urban spaces that are healthy for both people and nature.

Vanessa Lee is an associate environmental scientist, ecological planner, and landscape designer at SFEI. Her primary focus at the Resilient Landscapes Program is to translate advanced science outcomes into actionable guidance for planning and design. She holds a dual master’s degree from UC Berkeley in City Planning (MCP) and Landscape Architecture Environmental Planning (MLA EP).