Urban Greenspaces Institute

The Urban Greenspaces Institute celebrates cities as great places to live and promotes the integration of the green infrastructure—our streams, wetlands, natural areas, urban forest, parks, and trails—as essential elements of high-quality urban design. The Urban Greenspaces Institute’s mission is to ensure that parks, regional trail systems, greenways, and greenspaces are integrated with the built environment in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region. Our motto, “In Livable Cities is Preservation of the Wild,” reflects the Institute’s philosophy that well-designed, nature-rich cities are beautiful, equitable, compact, and ecologically sustainable places to live, thereby reducing urban sprawl across the rural landscape.

Protecting, restoring and actively managing the urban green infrastructure preserves natural areas for fish and wildlife; provides access to nature in the city; enhances air and water quality; contributes to human health, fitness and psychological well-being. UGI works in coalition with agencies, advocates, businesses, and community members across sectors – in housing, transportation, urban design, and utilities.