Great Urban Parks Campaign
APA, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), and the Low Impact Development Center created resources to improve environmental and social outcomes in underserved communities through green infrastructure in local parks.
Project Overview
Green infrastructure is becoming the go-to economical and environmentally friendly solution to ensure resilience in extreme weather situations, moving beyond aging, "gray" stormwater management systems. Local parks are ideally suited for green infrastructure approaches, which improve and enhance public spaces to benefit the social, environmental, and economic aspects of a community.
This two-year project supported on-the-ground projects in local communities and developed resources and training programs on green infrastructure for park, recreation, and planning professionals. It specifically focused on dealing with gentrification and improving social equity.
This expansion of the Great Urban Parks Campaign (an ongoing collaboration between APA and NRPA) involved two simultaneous strategies: pilot projects and evidence-based educational resources to increase knowledge on how to implement green infrastructure projects to maximize multiple benefits.
Great Urban Parks Campaign Briefing Papers
APA produced three briefing papers that summarize policy issues around green infrastructure and parks to help public officials, planners, and parks professionals make decisions and formulate local policies.
Financing Green Infrastructure Projects
Great Urban Parks Campaign Case Studies
The August 2016 Great Urban Parks Campaign grants awarded Park Pride, the Parks and People Foundation, Environmental Learning for Kids, and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy a total of $1.75 million in support of green infrastructure projects in Atlanta, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Denver.
The grant awards issued to Park Pride (Atlanta) and Environmental Learning for Kids (Denver) were used to develop new public parks, and those issued to the Parks and People Foundation (Baltimore) and Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy were used to revitalize existing parks.
These case studies look at the lessons learned:
Resources
Resource Guide for Planning, Designing, and Implementing Green Infrastructure in Parks
This guide draws on lessons learned from the Great Urban Park Campaign pilot projects and provides basic principles, inspiration and ideas that can help planners, designers and decision makers equitably integrate green stormwater infrastructure into parks and park systems across the country.
Green Infrastructure Improves Communities
This video explains the need for the Great Urban Parks Campaign and shows how using parks for green infrastructure is a creative and cost-effective alternative to gray infrastructure that allows nature to filter pollutants from rain water, reduce storm water issues and give communities access to more green space.
Webinars
New Resources for Green Infrastructure Stormwater Management in Parks
This webinar focuses on key recommendations and findings on how to envision, plan, finance, and implement green stormwater management projects in parks and other public lands, especially projects that are designed to benefit underserved communities. It highlights how to manage an effective and thorough community engagement process.
Green Infrastructure and Social Equity
This webinar focuses on best practices, strategies and case studies for planning and implementing green infrastructure projects in parks, with a special focus on connecting to communities and empowering underserved communities.
Collaboration, Funding, and Community Engagement
This webinar is intended for parks and water utility administrators, landscape architects, representatives of community organizations, and anyone interested in building a new collaborative approach to green infrastructure projects that go beyond the functional benefits of capturing and treating stormwater to engaging and empowering communities for the benefit of all.
Small-Scale, Low-Cost Green Stormwater Management Projects for Parks and Public Lands
The cost of designing, installing and maintaining larger scale green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) projects can often be daunting for park agencies and other public lands managers. This free webinar will give you the information you need to know on how you can easily and simply design, install and maintain low-cost small-scale green infrastructure stormwater projects in parks and public spaces.
Tools for Trees: Better Stormwater Management and Livability
Trees can provide multiple benefits in the landscape especially when utilized in new and retrofitted stormwater management installations. This webinar introduces a free interactive web-based tool developed by the National Association of Regional Councils and the U.S. Forest Service that will help you maximize the value of trees in stormwater management. Join national experts in green infrastructure design for an intro to this exciting new tool that enables strategic placement of trees to improve stormwater management.
Project Background
Great Urban Parks: Green Infrastructure in Underserved Communities
On March 10–11, 2016, nearly 40 thought leaders from across the country gathered at Southpoint Energy Institute in Atlanta to discuss how to maximize social and environmental benefits of green infrastructure in parks in underserved communities. The group participated in panel discussions; small group work; tours of Atlanta parks; and review of model projects from Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee. To inform the discussion, APA prepared a brief summary of existing research on the topic as well as case studies.
Great Urban Parks Convening Summary
Following the convening, NRPA and LIDC prepared a report summarizing the two days of discussion. Breakout session highlights included key recommendations for green infrastructure planning, design/operations, social equity/engagement, partnerships, and funding/financing.
Acknowledgements
This project was made possible by a grant by the JPB Foundation to NRPA. NRPA partnered with APA and LIDC to conduct research, host a convening of thought leaders, solicit and select pilot projects, and develop a suite of educational resources.