Niches in the urban forest: Organizations and their role in acquiring metropolitan open space

As a response strategy to minimize the impacts of urban sprawl, public and private organizations are striving to acquire open lands that will contribute to a resilient and multifunctional urban forest. In the Chicago metropolitan region, we interviewed representatives of 15 organizations to understand the land acquisition process-the structures and functions of groups involved, their acquisition goals, and the cooperation among groups as they work to build metropolitan green infrastructure. Our findings reveal strength in diversity-a variety of groups working at different levels with complementary goals can help meet the complex challenges of land protection in rapidly urbanizing areas.