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At Park Pride, we are motivated by the philosophy of the power of parks. That is “When parks meet the needs and reflect the unique character of the communities they serve, they are welcoming places for all members of the community to gather, play, relax, and connect with nature, encouraging mental and physical health and enhancing the resilience of our neighborhoods.” What is meant by parks have the power to enhance the resilience of our neighborhoods? In this month’s contribution to the Saporta Report, Park Pride’s Director of Communications and Policy, Rachel Maher, reflects on this question through the lessons learned at the Regional Leadership Institute.

SOURCE: Saporta Report

The Sara J. González Memorial Park is a small, triangular greenspace nestled in Atlanta’s Westside that’s become a center for community and inclusivity. Unveiled in 2018, the park was named in memory of González, a changemaker in the local Hispanic community.

SOURCE: Saporta Report

If you’ve ever watched a bunch of ants working out how to reach the sugar water dripping from a hummingbird feeder suspended high above their heads, you were probably amazed by their ingenuity and tireless pursuit of their goal. How will they ever attain something so far out of their individual reach? They do it (faster than you’d imagine) with a network of fellow ants—with their community.  In this Saporta Report article, Park Pride’s Teri Nye discusses how communities are coming together to demand multifunctional parks, and why two parks in particular were selected to receive park design assistance through the Park Visioning Program.

SOURCE: Saporta Report

Park Pride’s vision is an Atlanta where every neighborhood has access to a great park. However, through the public engagement process that informed Activate ATL, we learned that some Atlantans feel discouraged from visiting parks due to maintenance issues and past-due upgrades. To address this challenge, Park Pride is exploring opportunities to pair public and private dollars and approach park improvements comprehensively–following through on both large and small upgrades concurrently–to transform underutilized parks into welcoming and activated community greenspaces.

SOURCE: Saporta Report

As public spaces, parks are inherently political, each with its own hidden minefield of competing interests that come to light when working with communities to build consensus around a shared vision for their neighborhood park. However, this park planning process doesn’t have to be divisive, as much of politics are. On the contrary, when park planning fully engages the community (as we have experienced through Park Pride’s longstanding Park Visioning Program), it is not only democratic and fair, but it can actually strengthen communities. Read more in this month’s contribution to Saporta Report.

SOURCE: Saporta Report