The Presidio: From Army Post to National Park

Nestled between the far western edge of San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean, the Presidio served as a military post for over two centuries. An urban enclave with more than 800 buildings and 1,500 acres of land, the Presidio is also a beautiful expanse of lush landscapes, natural resources, and recreation areas. When cuts in defense spending forced the post's closure in the late 1980s, these unique and diverse features kindled an initiative to transfer the Presidio to the National Park Service. Reshaping the former U.S. Army base as a park dedicated to environmental education required the most massive planning effort in the Park Service's history.

The arduous but eventually successful conversion is chronicled in this provocative case study of urban environmentalism in action. Lisa Benton places her analysis within the context of the rich military and cultural history of the Presidio, the interdependence between San Francisco and the base, and the conventional missions of the National Park Service. She thoroughly examines the Park Service's recommendation to manage the Presidio with a public/private partnership -- an unusual proposal that sparked heated and highly politicized debate in Congress. Benton, who observed many of the hearings and negotiations firsthand, examines the economic, political, social, and environmental complexities raised by the plan, and shows how grassroots organizations, philanthropists, business and political leaders, and other advocates ultimately helped preserve the Presidio as a showcase for both nature and culture. Her account is a fascinating story of people, institutions, conflict, cooperation, and change.

Benton's insightful study of the Presidio's transformation from Army base to one of the jewels of the National Park Service provides both a better understanding of contemporary land use issues and a model for similar innovations in urban greening.