Parks can play a central role in community development. However, to achieve equitable results takes real intention. Philadelphia is advancing partnerships in underserved, park-adjacent communities to align and integrate long-term project and program objectives with existing, trusted programming and relationships led by hyperlocal community development organizations. In San José, parks are central to the city’s downtown revitalization strategy and through coordinated investment across multiple sites has grown a collaborative of public, nonprofit and private partners demonstrating how public space can serve as both a civic living room and an economic driver. Akron’s foundation of Civic commons work is a resident-led model of co-design, co-creation and co-stewardship. This resident-led process and collaborative team is restoring trust, building authentic relationships and creating a legacy for future generations.
Reimagining the Civic Commons takes a portfolio approach to managing public spaces as a connected set of civic assets. Local cross-silo teams are changing how they design, operate, program and measure parks and public spaces in order to deliver more engaged, equitable and resilient communities.
Through case study presentations of work in action on the ground, you’ll learn how multi-disciplinary teams in three cities are pursuing distinct strategies to advance equitable community development through their parks and public spaces. With insights from a decade of leading collaborative public space efforts in communities of different sizes, demographics and growth trajectories, this session will elevate practice changes that nurture critical social impacts to improve neighborhoods and lives.
