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Why is this a Climate Smart indicator?

• Conserving natural and working lands (NWLs) helps prevent carbon emissions that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere if the land were cleared or developed.
• By preserving NWLs and their ecosystems, they maintain their ability to store carbon, a process called carbon sequestration, which means the land can continue absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over time.
• Preserved natural and working lands also help avoid urban sprawl, reduce vehicle miles traveled by channeling growth to pre-developed areas, protect habitat connectivity, and preserve water quality by reducing pollution runoff.

What is the City doing to make progress on this indicator?

In Progress / Ongoing

• The City is a partner in the development of the Open Space Authority’s Coyote Valley Conservation Areas Master Plan, which will create a roadmap for the future use and restoration of Coyote Valley’s recently protected valley-floor lands (2021-present.)

About the data

Sources

Data on acres of NWL are provided by the City of San José’s Planning, Building and Code Enforcement department. Acreage totals include land within San José’s Sphere of Influence for the following Envision San José 2040 General Plan land use designations: Open Space, Parklands and Habitat (OSPH); Open Hillside (OH); and Agriculture (A).

New 2030, 2040 and 2050 milestones were set for this metric due to each of the original milestones being surpassed. Each of these goals have been updated to maintain the current actual value.

Last updated

November 2025