HORTICULTURE
Invasive Species Removal & Native Habitats
Horticulture crews piloted wildlife- and pollinator-friendly spaces throughout the City in 2025 as part of the Mayor's Monarch Pledge. By planting native species and pollinator-supporting flowers in right-of-ways, parklands, vacant lots, and small underused plots, they tested rewilding approaches that reduced maintenance needs while boosting urban biodiversity. Lessons learned from these pilot sites will guide continued expansion of pollinator-friendly landscapes in the coming years.

Horticulture and Urban Forestry crews led invasive species removal efforts at Chilhowee Dog Park, Mary James Park, Third Creek Greenway, and within the Knoxville Urban Wilderness as part of a multi-year Invasive Species Control Grant, awarded to the City and Ijams Nature Center in 2024. Crews have managed 5.5 acres of public land and removed 19 tons of invasive brush at Chilhowee Dog Park alone, working alongside local organizations to restore healthier public spaces. 



KNOXVILLE AREA TRANSIT (KAT)
Decarbonization Plan & All-Electric Buses

Knoxville Area Transit Decarbonization Plan

Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) worked with the City’s Office of Sustainability to develop a decarbonization plan for their agency in 2023. 

The KAT Decarbonization Plan set forth two GHG Emission Reduction Goals: 

• 40% Reduction in GHG emissions by 2040 (from 2015 levels)
• Net-Zero by 2050 (from 2015 levels) 
  
  KAT operates 12 all-electric buses in their fleet, preventing an average of 3.6 million pounds of GHG emissions each year. For more information about their electric buses click here.

OFFICE OF NEIGHBORHOOD EMPOWERMENT
Community Wildlife Habitats & City Nature Challenge

Certified Community Wildlife Habitat Property Sign

Knoxville has been a certified Community Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation since 2017, the only city in Tennessee with this distinction. Certified habitats provide the essentials for wildlife: food, water, cover, and places to raise young. They also use sustainable gardening practices. Several neighborhoods throughout Knoxville are also certified as Community Wildlife Habitats. Interested in getting your neighborhood certified? Visit the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment’s Community Wildlife Habitats page to learn more. 

The City Nature Challenge is an annual four-day global bioblitz at the end of April, where cities are in a collaboration-meets-friendly-competition to see what can be accomplished when we all work towards a common goal. The official dates for 2026 are April 24th-27th. Ijams Nature Center and Seven Islands Birding State Park will have special programming for those who would like to participate with others. Visit the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment's programs page or sign up for the Neighborly Notice Newsletter to learn more. 



STORMWATER ENGINEERING DIVISION
Community Cleanups & Waterway Restoration
Stormwater Engineering remains a key partner in organizing and supporting Knoxville's waterway cleanups. In 2025, Adopt-A-Stream events and Ijams River Rescue -- where 518 volunteers removed 17.2 tons of debris -- improved 34 creek and river sites including First, Third, and Fourth Creeks. 

The division continues to advance long-term creek restoration through erosion control enforcement, riparian buffer protection, and watershed assessments that guide restoration projects. Through Creekbank Protection and Repair Workshops, they also help stabilize hundreds of feet of eroded streambank using native plants, coir logs, and expanded no-mow buffers. 

Read the latest National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Annual Report.

Fountain City Lake also remains clean enough for the TWRA to continue stocking trout for seasonal urban fishing, thanks to ongoing Stormwater Engineering maintenance and public education. Read more about the restoration project here.



TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING DIVISION
Vision Zero & Alternative Transportation
The Transportation Engineering Division works to create a safer, more connected Knoxville by designing streets that serve everyone. Their work spans the full range of multimodal infrastructure, including sidewalk construction and repair, bikeway planning, crosswalk upgrades, traffic-calming projects, and new neighborhood connections. Check out their Bicycle Facilities Plan and Downtown Circulation and Mobility Study.

Through Transportation Engineering's Vision Zero program, they lead data-driven projects to eliminate all traffic fatalities on city-controlled roads by 2040. This work includes improving high-injury corridors, updating crosswalk and signal timing, and implementing targeted safety countermeasures informed by crash data and community input. Dedicated staff oversee these efforts, ensuring that every transportation project advances Knoxville's goal of creating safe, accessible streets for all residents.



URBAN FORESTRY DIVISION
Tree Management & Knoxville Urban Forest Master Plan

Trees are a valuable public asset in cities. They improve public health by lowering rates of asthma, heart disease, stress, and heat-related illnesses through cooling neighborhoods and improving air quality. Trees also deliver major economic value by reducing energy bills, mitigating stormwater runoff and flooding, and strengthening local business districts and property values (UFMP - The Power of Trees).

The Knoxville Urban Forest Master Plan, developed in 2023 through a collaborative effort led by Trees Knoxville with the City of Knoxville, State of Tennessee, Keep Knoxville Beautiful, and the Knoxville Utilities Board, outlines a long-term strategy for a healthier urban forest. The plan sets forth the goal of increasing citywide tree canopy from 38% to 40% by 2040, guiding efforts to protect mature trees and expand plantings across the city.  

Explore Knoxville’s Urban Forestry Division’s page to learn more about their work.

WASTE AND RESOURCES MANAGEMENT OFFICE
Waste Reduction & Diversion

Working with Knox County, the University of Tennessee, and many other community partners, the City has strengthened its waste management practices over the last decade. The Waste and Resources Management Office has worked to reduce the amount of methane-emitting organic items in our waste stream by adopting backyard composting standards, expanding recycling services, and engaging residents and businesses to reduce solid waste.

Visit the City of Knoxville's Waste and Resources Management Office's page to learn how to properly dispose of, recycle, reuse, and compost all types of waste in Knoxville.