Hello. I'm Jon Swae.
I create cities for people and nature.
I create cities for people and nature.
My work focuses on creating places that reimagine and restore our relationship with the natural world. I imagine cities as living forests - where people, plants and wildlife thrive side by side.
For more than a decade, I partnered with local communities to create urban land use plans and environmental policy at the San Francisco Planning Department. I led and authored the San Francisco Urban Forest Plan which fundamentally changed how the City understands and manages its trees.
At San Francisco Public Works, I lead citywide efforts to expand and sustain the urban forest. I generate and direct public funding for tree planting, tree maintenance and workforce development. My initiatives have secured nearly $20 million in grant funding, transformed a neglected freeway parcel into the award-winning Street Tree Nursery, and trained and employed hundreds of people to plant and care for thousands of trees.
As a member of the California Urban Forestry Advisory Committee, I help CAL FIRE shape the future of urban forests statewide. When I'm not planting or planning, you can find me exploring California's wild places or making art inspired by the land and people who live closely with it.
At San Francisco Public Works, I lead citywide efforts to expand and sustain the urban forest. I generate and direct public funding for tree planting, tree maintenance and workforce development. My initiatives have secured nearly $20 million in grant funding, transformed a neglected freeway parcel into the award-winning Street Tree Nursery, and trained and employed hundreds of people to plant and care for thousands of trees.
As a member of the California Urban Forestry Advisory Committee, I help CAL FIRE shape the future of urban forests statewide. When I'm not planting or planning, you can find me exploring California's wild places or making art inspired by the land and people who live closely with it.
