Trust for Public Land’s Post

Access to healthy green space is an essential part of life for New Yorkers. Greenways give unique access to greenspace between neighborhoods. They bring together communities, provide greater access to open space, and serve as enjoyable thoroughfare. There are currently 150 miles of greenways in New York City parks, but many are in poor repair, and are often short, non-contiguous segments. In 2022 the Mayor announced the City’s $47M budget commitment to improve Greenways in Brooklyn which was exciting news following the work from our 2020 $1M grant to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City supporting the city's conceptual planning initiative to transform and improve greenways as destination pathways in Queens and Brooklyn to create greater access between underserved neighborhoods. The conceptual planning initiative brought together city agencies with communities in the planning process to ensure the best routes for these greenways. Access to greenspace is a key part of health – and greenways provide a safe, gateway for healthy physical activity like walking and cycling between larger greenspaces. Read more about this grant here: https://on.nyc.gov/49tFRZV

On this Labor Day, more often than not, we are continuing to grapple with shoestring resources that typically accrue for community organizing and capacity building efforts within public agency led processes. All in service of improving and strengthening our cities and regions: better access to food, homes, transit, parks, schools and jobs, stronger adaptation and resilience preparation to the ill effects of climate change and other emergent community needs. It doesn’t have to be this way. As novel examples illustrate well across several community constellations in California alone—Allensworth Progressive Association in Allensworth, 40 x 40 Council in Oakland, Santa Ana Shared Financing Collective in Santa Ana and others—communities are flipping the script and orchestrating the future of their own neighborhoods. When we as communities assert power and articulate our collective visions we can attract resources in abundance. This is no mirage! This is a snapshot of an alternate reality that can be true for more communities and must be a reason to not mourn but celebrate today—the promise held within community’s collective labor. #CommunityVision #CommunityPower #AbundantResources #LaborDay

Parks are where we walk and jog, children enjoy playgrounds, and people meet for social gatherings. They are also a starting point for building community power and strengthening democracy.   The Trust for Public Land developed a framework for enabling local communities to decide how to renovate their green spaces and found that organizing communities to redesign their parks galvanized residents to connect on other issues of shared concern. What started as a parks project became an exercise in community power building and democratic enrichment: “Communities build relationships with their environment and with each other, coalesce around a place-based identity grounded in their shared passion, and ultimately consolidate and exercise community power to transform residents’ lives for the better.” 🌳In SSIR’s new summer issue, Geneva Vest, Cary Simmons, and Howard Frumkin share more about the framework and ways to nurture civic engagement and a thriving democracy through our parks and green spaces ➡ https://lnkd.in/e8bgMN3X #socialinfrastructure #parks #democracy

Democracy is a lot bigger than any 🗳 single election, and it's bigger than our ⚖ political system. As we experience extreme levels of toxic polarization, division, and loneliness in this country, each of us needs to orient our work (and life) in a way that 🤝 strengthens democratic norms, processes, and cultures in our local communities. I'm thrilled to see Trust for Public Land's 🔬 latest research and thinking on the pivotal role that 🏞 parks play in fostering democracy, justice, and social cohesion published in 📑 the Stanford Social Innovation Review last week. In the article, my co-authors and I highlight powerful case studies that demonstrate how parks serve as vital spaces for community engagement, activism, and the cultivation of democratic values through activities like community organizing, land stewardship, and creative placemaking. Each of us has a part to play in making our democracy work. And I promise you don't have to look much farther than your local park to get involved and take action. 💚 🌳 👊

One of the many benefits of living in Central Ohio is the extensive and expansive parks system. Between Ohio Department of Natural Resources' State Parks, Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks and Preservation Parks of Delaware County, to name just a few, residents have access to dozens of parks, hundreds of miles of trails, and water ways. Organizations like MORPC and RAPID 5 ensure we're constantly analyzing options and investing in green spaces. According to this report from Axios Columbus, the investments are paying off. "Columbus' parks system just keeps getting better, per the latest public parks index from the nonprofit Trust for Public Land. ... The city's ranking among large cities jumped 10 slots this year, moving from the 56th to 46th best in the country." Why does this matter? "New research by the nonprofit shows cities with higher scores have residents who are on average more socially connected with their neighbors, more likely to volunteer and more likely to form friendships across socioeconomic groups." There is, however, work to be done. "Columbus still doesn't compare particularly well to its Ohio peers, all of which were once again ranked higher this year. Cleveland came in 31st, Toledo was 27th and Cincinnati came in eighth." Even so, get outside with the summer weather. Go enjoy a park near you!

Congrats to our friend Rocket on his Ted Talk "Vermont: The Value of Hardship" for TEDx Hartland Hill's series, The Art of Living! What a refreshing take on the inherent BENEFITS of hardship: innovation, accountability, and cooperation - these are KEY qualities of Vermont living! Here at BRIC in Springfield, we're acutely and continuously aware of the myriad of challenges that rural life presents in the face of our community development efforts. If we're being honest, the list of obstacles and setbacks we encounter day to day often feels endless - like pushing a boulder up hill (both ways!) in the snow. Anyone boots on the ground doing this type of work knows it's not for the faint of heart, and in fact we often joke that you have to be a certain sort of glutton for punishment in order to ever actually make any progress. We know what we're doing is difficult, and that we're pushing against the odds with the things we're trying to accomplish - and somehow this awareness actually BOLSTERS our determination. The spirit of resilience and ingenuity is STRONG in Vermont. It's an inherent part of our identity. Whether it's snowstorms, early frosts, catastrophic flooding, workforce and housing shortages, food insecurity, busted leaking pipes - whatever the hurdle, Vermonters SHOW UP. We imagine possibilities, we work together, and we GET SHIT DONE. In spite of the challenges, there's nowhere we'd rather be! We believe in the power of our communities, we root for the underdog, and we WILL prevail. Thanks for the food for thought, Rocket! And for all that you're doing to help affect positive change here in Vermont! Check it out: https://lnkd.in/egRhvQgW #vermont #tedx #tedxhartlandhill #rurallife #ruralinnovation #community #CommunityDevelopment

"At a time when New Yorkers are using parks and open spaces more than ever—and these places have become even more vital to the city’s future livability—the city can’t keep up with their growing needs, especially as its Parks Department absorbs a $20.1 million budget cut. Adequately maintaining the city’s public parks and open spaces will require sustained public investment." Along with calling for more investment in civic infrastructure, this commentary by John Surico elevates why and how New York City should make it easier for nonprofit and community groups to help care for parks and public spaces. And offers recommendations for cities everywhere to consider in moving from a "culture of no" to a "city of yes" when it comes to public-private partnerships for public space stewardship: ✅ Direct the city’s lawyers to simplify agreements around parks and open space care.  ✅ Develop a public space management handbook that includes parks and open spaces. ✅ Reduce the overhead costs for groups that support the needs of public parks and open spaces—starting with insurance. ✅ Ensure that the city’s proposed Public Space Academy includes parks groups. https://lnkd.in/e2faEn9h Center for an Urban Future #parks #publicspace #stewardship #care #maintenance #civicinfrastructure

In the world of food justice, Karen Washington is a powerhouse. Dating back to the 80s, she will have corrected you if you claimed here NYC neighborhood was a food desert. After all, food was around. But it was crap. HEALTHY food was hard to come by. And community gardens had the power to change not only that, but a whole lot more… Green spaces Community gatherings Educational opportunities Just to name a few more So as I start to reach out to climate orgs in NYC and Atlanta to consider filming “How on Earth?” there, I knew I had to reach out to Karen. The image in my head was the powerful woman that took the stage a Bioneers a couple years back called “911 Our Food System Is Not Working.” You can find it by simple typing “Karen Washington Bioneers” into YT. Who joined me on zoom was a humble woman who had been turning her compost bin all day on her farm. In the 30 minutes we shared, I feel in love with a woman I now get to call “Momma Karen.” She brainstormed with me and offered big ideas and concrete actions. She solidified that the biggest power “How on Earth?” has for climate orgs is as a media source to amplify questions being asked by the community. For example, Elizabeth Street Garden (a mainstay of the community) is under threat of being “developed.” Read about it on their website. A google search of the garden will bring up more news coverage. The questions she pressed for were…. Why take that heart from the community when have other areas in jurisdiction for housing? What makes an administration do this? Why that area? What's the underlying reason? What are the conditions that make a city want to take such a good thing from the community? What is their take on it? So until How on Earth can put a megaphone to these questions, join me in writing a letter to the NYC mayor — no matter where you live! https://lnkd.in/gW22enQB

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.

Recently discovered the work by the Prevention Institute on the need for park equity, and appreciate their poignant outline of park benefits and strategies to promote park equity. Recommend visiting their work (https://lnkd.in/gbTTYQGE) on goals and actions to support this work. *Below is my imperfect attempt at the takeaways due to word count limits.* - Fund community-based organizations that work in and with park-poor communities to undertake organizing and other power-building strategies to change the structural policies and systems that created park inequities... - Increase local, state, and federal funding allocations for green space and recreation services, prioritizing areas of high need.   - Advocate for formal recognition by relevant government agencies of the existence of park inequities and impacts on specific populations...   - Enact local, state, and federal policies that prioritize budget allocations to reverse inequities in the distribution of park space.   - Secure commitments from sponsors of state and local conservation finance measures (e.g., bonds, assessments, etc.) to include line item funding to ameliorate park and recreation inequities...   - Ensure community input in selecting, designing, and improving parks and green spaces...   - As part of park development efforts, examine the potential for displacement of long term residents, especially renters, and proactively incorporate anti-displacement strategies...   - Conduct comprehensive park needs assessments... to document park inequities and evaluate the efficacy of potential sites and strategies to alleviate them.   - Acquire small and non-traditional parcels in park-poor areas—such as vacant lots, alleyways, public utility right of ways, and unnecessarily wide streets...   - Ensure that parks are safe and welcoming places for people to socialize and be physically active. Pay special attention to the needs of low-income individuals and families, people of color, non-English speakers, older adults, people with disabilities, and women... - Collaborate across sectors... to maximize the reach and effectiveness of park advocacy and planning efforts. Develop partnerships... to expand free and low-cost recreational options. https://lnkd.in/gbTTYQGE