Dear City Parks Alliance Members and Friends,
After careful consideration, City Parks Alliance, in cooperation with our host city lead partners Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and Fairmount Park Conservancy, has decided to postpone the next Greater & Greener conference, originally scheduled to take place in Philadelphia, PA in July 2021, to Summer 2022.
There were many factors contributing to this decision, first and foremost the health and safety of our attendees given the uncertain trajectory of the ongoing pandemic. We also recognize that the pandemic has led to tough cuts in city budgets, preventing many of our members and park partners from travel and participation over the next year.
In the interim, City Parks Alliance is curating a special virtual event for June 2021 that will build upon the planning work to date, draw from the excellent speaker proposals received last month, and provide a preview of the in-person Greater & Greener conference in Philadelphia. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting learning opportunity. This will complement our ongoing member programming and address the evolving needs of the park and recreation community and cities recovering from the impact of coronavirus.
Thank you to our host city lead partners, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and Fairmount Parks Conservancy, the Greater & Greener Conference Committee, City Parks Alliance Board of Directors, and those of you who submitted conference proposals. A special thanks also to our early conference sponsors, William Penn Foundation, Landscape Structures, The Speedwell Foundation, The Toro Company, and REI.
We look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia in 2022, and online through our other member events throughout 2020 and 2021.
Sincerely,
Catherine Nagel
Executive Director of City Parks Alliance
