Reimagining the Civic Commons’ Post

Parks are some of the most vibrant open spaces in New York City, and at a time when New Yorkers are using them more than ever, the city can’t keep up with their growing needs, especially as its Parks Department absorbs a $20.1 million budget cut. Our new commentary highlights why and how the city should make it easier for nonprofit organizations and community groups to help care for smaller parks and open spaces. By way of a smart strategy prioritizing enhanced maintenance, site-specific programming, and dedicated new sources of revenue, the city can reinvest in its public spaces. This would be a win-win for the city and its residents, but the city’s legal reviews make securing the agreements necessary between community-organizations and city agencies an arduous slog, costing time and money. By overhauling these bureaucratic processes, the city would not lose a penny, and would unlock significant opportunities to improve conditions in smaller, under-resourced parks. A livable city is home to a vibrant, well-maintained public realm, and while the city has made recent strides in creating public-private partnerships around public space, there is much more to be done in order to unlock the full potential of New York’s parks. Check out our full commentary here: https://lnkd.in/e2faEn9h

NYC's public parks and open spaces face mounting maintenance needs, even as the city’s Parks Department absorbs a $20.1 million budget cut. To sustain a healthy and equitable parks system, NYC will have to restore funding. But that's not all that the city can do to help. In a new commentary, John Surico and I argue for one creative solution to the city’s perennial parks maintenance challenges: make it far easier for nonprofit organizations and community groups to help. The problem is that city regulations too often require that groups seeking to help their local parks jump through unnecessarily complex legal hoops that add considerable time and costs, often deterring them from getting involved. And while NYC Parks is launching crucial new efforts to help facilitate these partnerships, it can't clear the path all on its own. Fortunately, Mayor Adams can change this at little or no cost to the city: by directing the city’s lawyers to simplify and speed up partnership agreements with volunteer groups that want to help their local parks. Check out our newest commentary here:

The Center for an Urban Future has just issued a superb commentary about specific steps NYC could take to support neighborhood parks partners. The problems and solutions it identifies mirror those for small BIDs in NYC, which I wrote about with @RPA last year in Go Local! Help Us Help You. The through line, not just in NYC but in many cities, is the need for proactive and positive policies to make place-centered partnerships more empowered and equitable, through Trusted Partner programs and other innovations. NYC has made very good progress under its new Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu, but there's still much more to be done. Finding solutions to these issues across sectors and across cities is my focus at the Sustaining Places Initiative at NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management. https://lnkd.in/eW78_-8R Go Local Report: https://lnkd.in/eHUKcM6T Sustaining Places: https://lnkd.in/ePFEpsJr.

I am still waiting for him to underfund the most important department in NYC- The Public School Educational System. The educational budget of public schools in NYC can have detrimental effects on the quality of education and the overall well-being of students. Here are five reasons why it is a bad idea: 1. Decreased Resources: Cutting the educational budget would mean a reduction in resources available to schools, such as textbooks, technology, and learning materials. This can hinder students' access to essential tools for effective learning and limit their educational opportunities. 2. Staffing Cuts: Budget cuts may lead to a reduction in the number of teachers, support staff, and counselors. Larger class sizes and fewer support services can diminish the individual attention and support that students need to succeed academically and emotionally. 3. Limited Extracurricular Activities: Educational budget cuts often result in the elimination or reduction of extracurricular activities such as sports, music, art, and clubs. These activities play a crucial role in fostering students' creativity, physical well-being, teamwork, and personal development. Cutting them can negatively impact students' overall educational experience. 4. Achievement Gap Widening: Budget cuts tend to affect schools in lower-income areas disproportionately. By reducing resources and support for these schools, the achievement gap between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds can widen. This exacerbates educational inequities and limits opportunities for marginalized students to succeed. 5. Long-Term Economic Impact: Investing in education is vital for the future economic prosperity of a city. By cutting the educational budget, we risk compromising the quality of education provided to students. This can lead to a less educated workforce, reduced job opportunities, and a decline in economic growth for the city in the long run. It is crucial to prioritize and invest in education to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education that prepares them for success in their future endeavors. Cutting the educational budget of public schools in NYC would have far-reaching negative consequences for students, communities, and the city as a whole.

People’s Park: A Community Space Worth Fighting For East Bay - Aidan Hill People's Park is a vital green space in Berkeley that symbolizes free speech, community resilience, and environmental justice, but it is currently at risk of being reduced for housing development. The community demands that UC Berkeley, and the city pause these plans, explore alternative sites for housing, and revitalize the park to address homelessness while preserving its historical legacy. By working together, the university and city can transform the park into a thriving civic space that serves future generations without sacrificing green space in an already dense neighborhood. By addressing safety concerns through improved lighting and facilities, we can make the park accessible to all, day and night. The principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design suggest that well-lit, open spaces can reduce crime and increase community usage. Yet the responsibility doesn’t just lie in these superficial changes. UC Berkeley, as the leaseholder of the park, must be held accountable for maintaining basic amenities like sanitation and restrooms—necessities that it has neglected for far too long. TheNICP.com #CPTED #USCA https://lnkd.in/gcPt9Qi6

People’s Park: A Community Space Worth Fighting For East Bay - Aidan Hill People's Park is a vital green space in Berkeley that symbolizes free speech, community resilience, and environmental justice, but it is currently at risk of being reduced for housing development. The community demands that UC Berkeley, and the city pause these plans, explore alternative sites for housing, and revitalize the park to address homelessness while preserving its historical legacy. By working together, the university and city can transform the park into a thriving civic space that serves future generations without sacrificing green space in an already dense neighborhood. By addressing safety concerns through improved lighting and facilities, we can make the park accessible to all, day and night. The principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design suggest that well-lit, open spaces can reduce crime and increase community usage. Yet the responsibility doesn’t just lie in these superficial changes. UC Berkeley, as the leaseholder of the park, must be held accountable for maintaining basic amenities like sanitation and restrooms—necessities that it has neglected for far too long. TheNICP.com #CPTED #USCA https://lnkd.in/grMn9-Hh

Say you’re building a new city from scratch—like the proposed city in Solano County—where do you start? First, I hope you’d buy a copy of The JOY Experiments, but then what? Like Steven Covey always used to say, you’ve got to begin with the end in mind. So, if it were me, I would first decide how I want my city to act like a community. How do I want to make citizens feel like they belong? Define and celebrate the city’s uniqueness? Foster trust and compassion? Starting with a societal vision keeps the focus where it belongs—on the people. Next, I would use a new city-building formula, which shifts from the old Live, Work, Play model to Play (35%) + Live (35%) + Work (30%) = JOYFUL CITY A redistribution of policymaking and city-building energy and investments in the following way gets us closer to cities that are truly sustainable in the 21st century. With that in mind, does Solano County fit the bill? While the city only exists on paper for now, a lot of what they’re saying sounds promising and fits with the JOY Experiments ethos. Their plans are online at californiaforever.com so check it out for yourself and report back in the comments. And if anyone knows how to reach Jan Sramek, let me know. I want to send him a copy of our book. #citybuilding #cityliving #urbandesign #urbanplanning #placemaking #socialconnection #joyfulcities #joyexperiments https://lnkd.in/grQz-HBv

People’s Park: A Community Space Worth Fighting For East Bay - Aidan Hill People's Park is a vital green space in Berkeley that symbolizes free speech, community resilience, and environmental justice, but it is currently at risk of being reduced for housing development. The community demands that UC Berkeley, and the city pause these plans, explore alternative sites for housing, and revitalize the park to address homelessness while preserving its historical legacy. By working together, the university and city can transform the park into a thriving civic space that serves future generations without sacrificing green space in an already dense neighborhood. By addressing safety concerns through improved lighting and facilities, we can make the park accessible to all, day and night. The principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design suggest that well-lit, open spaces can reduce crime and increase community usage. Yet the responsibility doesn’t just lie in these superficial changes. UC Berkeley, as the leaseholder of the park, must be held accountable for maintaining basic amenities like sanitation and restrooms—necessities that it has neglected for far too long. USCPTED.com #USCA #CPTED https://lnkd.in/dBcBDDS7

🗣🖍 There are about 60 parks within half a mile of the highway. This is the third park that we program and steward. It’s so noisy, and it recently got some funding for some renovations because we were like, “Hey, it’s just an asphalt-top triangle, we can do something better here.” When I was growing up, it was predominantly Italian and Irish. Peter, who owned the blue house, would share these wonderful stories of how it was growing up in this neighborhood. Right now, there’s a big Mexican population around here. It’s intergenerational: you see the grandmothers tending to the toddlers and the infants, the parents play with the teenage kids and the younger kids, and sometimes they all play volleyball. We’re excited to see what’s going to happen here. It’s great that these changes are coming and that they’re making these investments, but we’ve also got to worry about the highway. When we host events in Virginia Park, it gives us the opportunity to talk to folks about changes that could potentially come to this area. It really is grassroots, building relationships. We show up everywhere. We go to schools, we go to meetings, big events. When our partners have meetings, we show up to their meetings. We’re very mindful that other organizations are working on other projects, so we definitely support and advocate for the work that they’re doing, but then it also provides us an opportunity to talk to people and be like, “Hey, do you know about like this other project to cap the Cross Bronx?” One of the hardest things about organizing is that you meet people who are like, “I can’t pay my rent, I can’t find a job, my lights are gonna be cut off, I’m having challenges with my kid in school.” It’s having to meet all these needs even before you can ask someone, “Hey, we have this really ambitious project, are you interested in learning about it?” I spend a lot of time just helping people navigate their own challenges to really gain that trust so that later on, I can say, “We’re having this meeting, can you come out and support?” That’s what organizing is about; it’s not a transactional relationship. https://lnkd.in/dRVpqV2m

WakeUP is excited to welcome Jon Blasco as a new board member this year. Jon’s been in the area for over 20 years having earned his Master’s degree from NC State. He is currently a Landscape Architect and Sr. Project Manager with WithersRavenel, working closely with municipal clients to deliver a wide range of projects, including parks & recreation, streetscapes, and public facilities. Before joining WakeUP’s board, he served on the Town of Garner's planning commission for 6+ years and coached his daughter’s soccer team. What keeps you living and investing in Wake County? My family. And the desire to see my community grow and develop into a great place to live. What is your favorite environmentally-friendly mode of transportation? My favorite, though not currently viable here, is light rail. Bikes are great, except the weather and transportation infrastructure in our region are unkind to them. What makes you most excited about being on WakeUP's board? I am excited about getting to know the other members and hearing different perspectives, contributing to the conversation about how we can do better, and providing a voice for the smaller communities. What is the connection between affordable housing, transportation, and land use on our future? We need to think about how our land use can promote diversity of living and transportation options that are equitable to all. Our current land use patterns and transportation network promote economic segregation. Affordable housing should not require long commutes or living in the bad part of town. Economically diverse neighborhoods with multi-modal access to work and play are stronger. What ways do you hope to inspire Wake County residents to be engaged in our future? I encourage our residents to learn how their governments work, whether that is learning about the different departments that make a town function, serving on various boards, attending public meetings, or having regular discussions with town officials. Once you understand how the process works, you can be more thoughtful and understanding in your approach to advocating for a better community. Why is WakeUP's work important for the Triangle? We need to take a holistic look at how the Triangle is growing and changing to ensure our growth is smart, equitable and positive. Growth is happening at such a rapid pace that I fear that we are losing sight of the forest from the trees. Development and growth needs to value creating/maintaining open space, accommodating a multi-modal transportation infrastructure, and providing quality and diverse housing options. We can help our municipalities and our developers expand their vision in order to create a great place to live and work. #wakeupwakecounty #boardspotlight #wakecounty #thrivingcommunities #beapartofthesolution #sustainablegrowth #urbandevelopment #growwithus #climatechange #landuse #affordablehousing #equity #environment