City Locations

Riding the Bus As Climate Bliss?

You’re on the bus. It’s your evening commute. The bus is almost full. Soft waves of chatter wash over you as you watch the blurred lights of storefronts pass by.

Being Human in Big Weather

Being Human in Big Weather

When it rained this May, it felt unexpected. Based on over 150 years of climate data for San Francisco, May typically gets several days with a light rain. But context is key, and we are coming out of three years of drought—a fact which will generally color memories in a drier hue. “If I’ve learned anything it is that people’s perceptions are usually wrong,” says Jan Null….

Humanity on the Fence

Humanity on the Fence

A new public art installation, called Fencelines, redefines the only barrier separating Richmond’s residential neighborhoods from the Chevron oil refinery: a wire fence.

All Stories

Riding the Bus As Climate Bliss?

Riding the Bus As Climate Bliss?

You’re on the bus. It’s your evening commute. The bus is almost full. Soft waves of chatter wash over you as you watch the blurred lights of storefronts pass by.

Being Human in Big Weather

Being Human in Big Weather

When it rained this May, it felt unexpected. Based on over 150 years of climate data for San Francisco, May typically gets several days with a light rain. But context is key, and we are coming out of three years of drought—a fact which will generally color memories in a drier hue. “If I’ve learned anything it is that people’s perceptions are usually wrong,” says Jan Null….

Humanity on the Fence

Humanity on the Fence

A new public art installation, called Fencelines, redefines the only barrier separating Richmond’s residential neighborhoods from the Chevron oil refinery: a wire fence.

Growing a Rainbow in the Urban Dirt

Growing a Rainbow in the Urban Dirt

Debbie Harris directs Urban Adamah, a Jewish urban farm in Northwest Berkeley. She is a farmer by trade but her role at Urban Adamah requires her to be “a horticulturalist, a plumber, a therapist, a teacher, an organizer.”

Five Threats in Five Places

Five Threats in Five Places

Coastal erosion in Pacifica, drought in Brentwood, fires in the North Bay, flooding in Union City, and urban heat in San Jose. Anissa Foster takes us on a revealing virtual tour.

Future-Proof Homes?

Future-Proof Homes?

Oona Khan dreams about her home of the future, after losing her Malibu retreat to fire. Caught in a quagmire of legal battles with Southern California Edison, and surging construction costs, Khan is still waiting to start construction.

How Far Can Metro Harbors Go on Nature-Based Shore Protection?

How Far Can Metro Harbors Go on Nature-Based Shore Protection?

Typical flood protections rely on engineered structures. But there’s a new push at the national level of the US Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize working with nature. Storm surge plans currently underway in New York, Miami and San Francisco highlight a range of nature-based fixes.

Oaklanders Leading on Climate

Oaklanders Leading on Climate

The 14 graduates of the inaugural 2021 Oakland Shoreline Leadership Academy have new skills to confront the rising tide head-on. “It’s completely changed how I look at the environment,” confesses Academy alum Shy Walker.

Two Towns Shortlisted for FEMA Millions

Two Towns Shortlisted for FEMA Millions

Grimes and Belvedere were the only two northern California towns that FEMA shortlisted this year for flood prevention funding. But flood protection is often more easily planned than done.

Flipping the Switch on All-Electric Housing

Flipping the Switch on All-Electric Housing

An East Palo Alto affordable housing project is at the forefront of a trend cities across California are trying to encourage: switching from natural gas appliances to electric ones. But the transition isn’t without headaches.

Oakland Tailors Resilience Hubs to Neighborhood Needs

Oakland Tailors Resilience Hubs to Neighborhood Needs

Faced with a health crisis, or stifling heat or smoke, most people will go somewhere familiar for help, a place they feel welcome. Oakland Chinatown’s Lincoln Center is that kind of safe haven, the perfect location for one of the city’s new “resilience hubs.”

Suisun City Pumps Up Resiliency

Suisun City Pumps Up Resiliency

Suisun City has been exploring ways to increase its resiliency to sea level rise and storm surges, including updating infrastructure, building an ecotone levee, and holding a resiliency workshop.

Is Weed Greener Indoors or Out?

Is Weed Greener Indoors or Out?

Although cannabis has a reputation as an environmentally-friendly plant, indoor cannabis cultivation demands significant energy to maintain precise light and temperature requirements. Last year, Colorado State researchers published the first study on the topic.

Valley Cities Beat Back the Heat

Valley Cities Beat Back the Heat

In the capital region and Silicon Valley, two cities have been experimenting with cooler roofs, walls and leafy canopies. Turns out cooling measures in one spot help those downwind.

A Quest for Clean Air

A Quest for Clean Air

It’s July 30th at the San Francisco Exploratorium and three teams of 10 to 15 adventurers, ranging from ages 9 to about 50, are assembled to participate in a live-action role-playing event unlike anything most had experienced before.

Mama Wanda Sows Resilience

Mama Wanda Sows Resilience

After a career of school administration and community engagement, Wanda Stewart saw firsthand how schools can be a central space for activating people.

Seeding Citizen Scientists

Seeding Citizen Scientists

Billy Krimmel decided to sow tens of thousands of native seeds around Davis and do everything wrong. Everything wrong, at least, by the standards of the professional landscapers.

Behind the Scenes in Game Design

Behind the Scenes in Game Design

KneeDeep interviewed Marcy Brown, master of “Death by a Thousand Breaths,” about what went into her thinking in designing a 90-minute, live action role-playing Dungeons and Dragons game called Cerulean Port City.

Seeking Friends for the End of the World

Seeking Friends for the End of the World

Could making friends with your neighbors be the secret to climate resilience? “All my homies are locally-sourced, non-GMO and gluten-free,” writes Maylin Tu of Los Angeles.

A Day On The Bayview’s Shifting Shore

A Day On The Bayview’s Shifting Shore

I set out for Heron’s Head Park on an early March morning. To my surprise, I had never heard of, nor visited, this site on the southeastern bayshore in my 20-plus years growing up and living as a visual artist in San Francisco.

Portola Garden District Returns to Its Roots

Portola Garden District Returns to Its Roots

Down a busy street overflowing with groceries, taquerias, Chinese medicine shops, and small businesses, an unassuming dead end is home to a thriving community garden, which also got greener during the pandemic.

Marin City Solves For Self

Marin City Solves For Self

The historically underserved community of Marin City has struggled with inadequate infrastructure, as a result of poor city planning and a lack of resources. Now, on the frontlines of extreme weather events, the community is finding their own ways to handle the climate forces of today.