Park organizations are increasingly reexamining how they invest funding and resources in their communities, with an eye to ensuring that investments are being made equitably. Particularly in under-resourced communities, park leaders are striving to ensure that the benefits of parks are available to all. How can park leaders engage community members in the process of developing equitable park investment policies and plans?
In this peer conversation, we’ll tackle this question. Guest speakers will briefly kick off the conversation. We’ll hear from park leaders in Louisville, Kentucky, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who are deeply engaging communities around their park needs and using information from these efforts to inform park equity policies and plans that serve all residents.
After the kick-off speakers and large group discussion, attendees will break into small group conversations to discuss and share ideas about working with the community during the development of park equity plans and policies.
Peer conversations are small group events designed to foster open conversations and the sharing of ideas and resources. This event is a follow-up to our September webinar, which explored how public agencies are working with communities to create policies that ensure that the benefits of parks are available to all, particularly those in under-resourced communities. This conversation will build on the webinar by encouraging dialogue among participants about their efforts to strengthen park equity collaboration.