“Resilience” is a word you may hear often, especially as it relates to how well cities—such as Houston, Miami, and even Atlanta—are prepared to manage stresses (such as the recent hurricanes, Harvey, Irma, and Maria). Resilience is also tied strongly to the future of Atlanta’s growth and development.
City of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed recently appointed a Chief Resilience Officer, Stephanie Stuckey, through a partnership with the 100 Resilient Cities pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation. Chronic stresses and acute shocks vary from city to city, and the Office of Resilience is developing strategies to address the stresses and shocks specific to Atlanta such as drought/heat waves, flooding, economic inequality, aging and failing infrastructure, and more.
But where does “resilience” intersect with parks?
At Park Pride’s 17th Annual Parks & Greenspace Conference, Parks & the Resilient City, we will explore how a robust park system contributes to the overall resilience of a city. We’ll discuss ways to make our park systems more resilient in the face of growing population, economic uncertainty, and extreme weather events.
We invite you to save the conference date—March 26, 2018—and join the parks and greenspace community as we discuss these topics at length.
As the largest event of its kind in the Southeast, this conference offers educational and inspirational opportunities for everyone, whether you’re a community member, a park designer, a government official, or an urban planning student. We hope to see you there!