We are “Nature Deprived” & This is How We are Fighting It
Bayview, the home to our site, is situated next to Candlestick Park, boxed in by high concrete walls of often abandoned buildings, and mapped by unkempt roads. This district of San Francisco is not like its neighbors. Neglect is one of its long-standing characteristics but not by any fault of its own. The City of Dreams site sits amongst the blocks of public housing complexes that most of our youth live within. Oakdale Avenue is a not-too-distant walk from Candlestick Park, the once former site of the San Francisco 49ers Stadium. Hunter’s Point, former Navy Shipyard, sits abandoned and toxic at the other end of Bayview–also not too far from our site. Circumstances aligned, the work of City of Dreams is oriented towards uplifting the children of this district in ways that inform them of their environment. We partner with organizations like Parks California and PG&E who are advocates for environmental equity and belonging. Recently, these two organizations chose us to participate in their “Nature is for Everyone” movement, and in turn shared our mission with their state-wide audience.
Bayview Hunters Point is an example of environmental and systemic racism. It carries the weight of isolated generational trauma, hefty in comparison to the rest of the city. It functions without an essential contributor to livelihood–nature. A study by American Progress called “The Nature Gap” concluded that close-to-home green spaces are monumental to the economic prosperity of children in poverty. Children in nature tend to have improved cognitive abilities including strong motor skills, stress regulation, enhanced social skills, better test scores, and demonstrate more enthusiasm for their own well-being. However, in communities where infrastructure is neglected, these nature-spaces are not as prevalent. In reality, a report found that BIPOC communities in the US have significantly fewer forests, wetlands, streams, fields, and more in comparison to higher-income, white-dominated communities. This is especially so in communities of color where families with children are higher in population. They are nature deprived.
Nature deprivation is a result of deliberate actions by those in power. Racism has corralled BIPOC migration into specific areas all around the US. Practices like redlining, economic segregation, and forced migration all systematically exclude them from natural resources. Public lands themselves carry with them a long history of the genocide and violent disposession from Native Americans, who presently still need to fight for the protection of their lands. In the same report it is stated that BIPOC communities (74%) are 3 times more likely than white communities (23%) to live in nature deprived areas. If we were to exclude the toxic chemicals that have seeped into the district’s air and soil from the Shipyard, Bayview would still be considered nature deprived. The Hunters Point Shipyard pollution is an added danger that unfortunately is not the only case of poisoning in nature-deprived, low-income neighborhoods.
City of Dreams is actively developing critical programming to address the nature deprivation in Bayview. Our method is through the youth. By exposing them to practical resources like gardening and the nature in their area, we can cultivate their understanding of how nature is supposed to be. This is why Parks California and PG&E chose us as an organization that aligns with their movements. We work to expose the kids to spaces that are meant for them. Similarly, our garden program is an open invitation environment to show the youth that nature requires community. PG&E’s “Nature is for Everyone” Movement means to invite people to California’s outdoor spaces in honor of this year’s Earth Day, just like we do.
Partnerships that encapsulate our work and the reason we do it are how we fight against the neglect. We can change Bayview’s status from nature deprived to nature rich, but we need your help to do it.
View “Nature is for Everyone” down below.