The people sitting, playing, and enjoying themselves in parks aren't always representative of the population that live in the communities. Here are three examples of parks that succeed at inclusion.
Kimberley Burrowes recognizes a problem with parks in cities: "they can go underutilized, or the opposite—they can increase property values and price long-time residents out of the neighborhood."
A community-led planning and design process can be the antidote to those negative outcomes, so Burrowes shares three strategies for supporting inclusive park development, with three real-world examples of the strategies at work.
With a lot more detail included in the article, the list of three reads as follows:
- Giving the community ownership: “Pocket parks” in New York City’s Lower East Side
- Seeking community feedback: DC’s 11th Street Bridge Park
- Offering equitable programming: San Francisco parks
The article concludes with additional advice on how to make these strategies continue to attain their intended goals over the long haul.
FULL STORY: Three City Parks that Encourage Inclusion in Their Communities
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research