Hello. I'm Jon Swae.
I create cities for people and nature.
I create cities for people and nature.
I grew up surrounded by trees - outside my window, in my backyard and along the streets I biked and walked down. My childhood town near Chicago was designed as a “village in a forest” by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect of New York’s Central Park. Here, I also learned about the land's first people and the earth-based wisdom of indigenous cultures. These early inspirations helped lead to a career in environmental planning and management. Today, my work focuses on creating places that reimagine and restore our relationship with nature.
At San Francisco Public Works, I manage contracts, grants and initiatives for the Bureau of Urban Forestry. I oversee a program that funds tree planting and maintenance projects while creating green jobs for those facing barriers to employment. Recently, I led the creation of a Street Tree Nursery on a vacant freeway in downtown San Francisco where thousands of trees will be grown for future planting.
For over a decade, I engaged local communities in developing land use plans and environmental policies at the San Francisco Planning Department. I managed and wrote the San Francisco Urban Forest Plan which transformed the City's approach to tree maintenance. I am an active member of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's (CAL FIRE) California Urban Forestry Advisory Committee.
In my free time, I enjoy making art and exploring the natural beauty and biodiversity of California.
