Spots Unknown Under the skin of San Francisco

PlantSF Offering Free Eco-Friendly Sidewalk Landscaping

Heard the jackhammers lately?

The city is forcing property owners to rip up and replace the busted sidewalk squares that front their buildings. But they don't have to be replaced with the same old, boring slabs. The sidewalk in front of your residence could look more like these.

DPW's Bureau of Urban Forestry issues low-cost permits allowing property owners to convert a portion of their sidewalk into an attractive landscaped area.

Even better, this recently came across the @SpotsUnknown Twitter feed:

FREE SIDEWALK LANDSCAPING DESIGN & INSTALLATION

In the Sunset District sidewalk gardens can not only make our streetscapes beautiful but also help recharge the aquifer and reduce sewer overflow contamination of the ocean.

Plant*SF and the San Francisco Parks Trust are offering the free installation of a demonstration sidewalk landscaping garden in the Sunset District using native and drought tolerant plants and permeable pavers. Corner properties are especially encouraged to apply.

To have a property be considered to receive free sidewalk landscaping, interested parties should email their contact information and property address to info@PlantSF.org by 5pm December 10, 2009. See PlantSF.org for examples of sidewalk gardens.

Funding for this project comes from the City of San Francisco Community Challenge Grant Program (CCG) with sponsorship from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

Outside of the Sunset District, there is a robust community of city eco-nerds who will help you design and install a sustainable sidewalk garden no matter where in the city you live. Start at the Plant*SF and Nature In The City websites.