This document discusses observation and hidden opportunities in neighborhoods. It notes that 98% of residents in San Francisco live within a 10 minute walk of a park. When trees and plants are removed from urban landscapes, something feels missing. Observing surroundings reveals the identity of living organisms among concrete. Hidden opportunities exist for green spaces to provide more to local communities, such as growing food to feed the hungry or selling produce from neighborhood gardens in nearby stores.

1. OBSERVATION
LAB
ARE YOU
PAYING
ATTENTION?
By Kristy Hessman

2. Observation Laboratory
My Neighborhood: Bernal Heights, San
Francisco - 94110

3. Insights
SF Population 812,826
98% of residents live within a 10
minute walk of a park

4. Insights
Oftentimes trees, plants and
greenery are so seamlessly
embedded within the urban
landscape so that we forget they
are even there – until they aren’t
...

5. And then we often feel that something is missing…

6. Insights
When we take the time to observe
our surroundings, we find the
living organisms growing amongst
the concrete have an identity of
their own.
They are numbered,
tagged, tracked,
maintained and
often, nurtured.

7. Hidden Opportunities
Just as the urban and the natural co-
exist, so do businesses and
nonprofits. Sometimes they come
together (as seen here) to make our
communities flourish - literally.
But what other hidden opportunities
such as these exist?

8. Hidden Opportunities
Other hidden opportunities
exist for our green spaces do
more for individuals living in
those communities:
1. Special programs could be
started to grow food to feed
the hungry within
neighborhoods.
2. Neighborhood stores could
sell produce from the gardens
next door to provide a truly
local food source.

9. Conclusion
Hidden opportunities exist all around us – sometimes it’s just a
matter of changing your prospective to find them.