Say hello to Noor Jaleel, a Park Pride summer intern supporting our community building efforts! Noor has been working directly with Friends of the Park groups across Atlanta, facilitating our annual check-ins. With her help, Park Pride has identified the needs of Friends groups and evaluated program success. We’re thrilled to have her on board. … Continue Reading →
Local businesses and corporations support Park Pride’s mission year-round, making a big impact on Atlanta’s local parks. Corporate groups can tap into team building opportunities such as custom, private volunteer projects to address urgent park needs while supercharging employee engagement.
Despite overlapping layers of natural, cultural, and historical meaning, City of Atlanta residents have had no direct access to the Chattahoochee River via public parks or trails, nor to the health and wellness benefits that such amenities provide. Only recently is that beginning to change thanks to a collaborative effort between Park Pride, the community, partner nonprofits, and local government.
This spring, Park Pride announced its largest grant cycle in history: $2.3 million for capital improvements to local parks! Established in 2004, Park Pride’s Grantmaking Program awards funding to community groups seeking to revitalize their neighborhood greenspaces. It is designed to support Friends of the Park groups taking on larger projects as they grow and … Continue Reading →
The case for parks is an easy one to make — increased physical activity within the community, lower levels of stress and a healthier urban environment. But in a city with one of the starkest income disparities in the nation, city and nonprofit leaders are working to be intentional about providing quality access to the outdoors for all Atlantans. On June 16, local park leaders gathered for a roundtable discussion hosted by nonprofit Park Pride about the future of parks in Atlanta and how to make them more accessible, equitable and plentiful.
SOURCE: Saporta Report
Parks are good for people and the communities of which they’re a part. They’re foundational for the health of local wildlife and habitats, and function as critical urban infrastructure by absorbing stormwater runoff, cooling ambient temperatures, providing the open space necessary for public health, and so on. Park Pride believes that parks have the potential to make cities great—but only if they receive the investment required to activate their multitude of benefits.
SOURCE: Saporta Report
A quiet walk in the park was not in the cards for Park Pride Program Manager, Kayla Altland, and her one- year old … nor was it meant to be! Approaching Freedom Barkway on a clear Saturday morning in May, Kayla’s son was delighted by the cacophony of howls, barks, and yips that surrounded him. … Continue Reading →
On May 14, the Friends of Waterworks Park and the Upper Westside CID hosted a community gathering—complete with live music, free Greek food, and the best pistachio ice cream ever!—to celebrate the opening of new unique playscape. Meant to represent the water treatment cycle as it goes from the Chattahoochee River to your faucet, … Continue Reading →
It’s a puzzle that despite overlapping layers of natural, cultural, and historical meaning associated with the Chattahoochee, the City of Atlanta and its residents have always been disconnected from the river. Only now are efforts to change that coming to fruition through a collaboration of community, nonprofits, local government, and neighboring municipalities. In this month’s contribution to the Saporta Report, Park Pride’s Andrew White takes a closer look at these collective efforts to restore the Chattahoochee as an iconic and accessible public corridor—one which offers places of memory, restoration, and recreation—can serve as both a local and national model for advancing projects with lasting positive impacts on local ecology and culture.
SOURCE: Saporta Report
While Atlanta’s movement on the 2022 ParkScore from #49 to #27 is promising, no one has ever been satisfied with coming in 27th place. A lot of challenging work lies ahead to achieve the park system that Atlantans want and deserve.
In this contribution to People, Places, and Parks, Park Pride’s Executive Director, Michael Halicki, examines the categories upon which the ParkScore is built to better understand the local context of Atlanta‘s standing and identify the opportunities to progress. Then, George Dusenbury (Georgia State Director of The Trust for Public Land) frames Atlanta’s ParkScore ranking within a national context and provides insight into how Atlanta compares to other leading and peer cities.
SOURCE: Saporta Report
