Turn Your Idea Into a Concept
Park Pride’s Project Design Accelerator is a technical assistance program that helps Friends of Parks groups move their project ideas closer to reality. In this program, a Friends of Park group will be partnered with a well-qualified design firm to shape your project ideas into a concept design. A strong concept is a crucial first step for an impactful project.
Community Input at No Cost
Robust and inclusive public engagement is the foundation of this program. All participants are expected to have a means of sharing the concept with the public and collecting feedback on the elements shown in the concept design. Park Pride can assist with the development of these strategies, but it is up to the Friends group to execute them.
Time and costs associated with the preparation of a concept plan are provided at no cost to the community. The volunteer design firm will provide a conceptual plan for the Friends of Park group on a pro-bono basis. The resulting conceptual design will be one that can be presented for approval from your local jurisdiction. All projects within public parks must go through the park design review process. The conceptual designs can also assist in raising funds for the project.
From Scope to Concept
- During the initial meeting, a scope of work will be agreed upon. The volunteer design team will then have 90 days to develop your project into a concept.
- Except for two check-ins described below, additional design meetings within those 90 days are at the discretion of the volunteer design team and Friends of Park group.
- A minimum of two check-in meetings with Park Pride’s Visioning Team will be required. During those meetings, we will go over your community engagement strategy and next steps for your project.
- You can expect to receive a conceptual plan from your volunteer design team that can be used to gain approval from your park’s governing jurisdiction, i.e., the Office of Park Design for the City of Atlanta.
- Projects from the Park Design Accelerator are not automatically funded, and your jurisdiction’s parks department will have final approval.
- At the end of that year’s cycles, participating Friends groups and volunteer designers will be invited to a Park Pride social event. Event details will vary per year.
