Annual Parks & Greenspace Conference

On March 23, we spent the day with over 500 of our closest friends at our 25th annual Parks & Greenspace Conference! This is an important event for the Atlanta area’s parks and greenspace community as we get the opportunity to learn from each other, share best practices, and make connections to strengthen our parks and the neighborhoods they serve.

Throughout the day, we heard from three keynote speakers — Gena Wirth, SCAPE; Anika Goss, Detroit Future City; Melvin Carter, former 2x Mayor of Saint Paul, MN — and 16 breakout sessions tying back to our theme, Resilient Parks, Resilient Communities. THANK YOU to everyone who participated in and attended the Conference. It wouldn’t be the special day that it is without you.

Save the date for next year’s Conference on Monday, March 22!

See snapshots from the day!

Keynote Speakers

Melvin Carter – former Mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota

Melvin Carter is a public-sector executive and civic leader who served as Mayor of Saint Paul from 2018 through 2025. During his tenure, he frequently served as a national voice through periods of profound challenge and change, while locally advancing a community-first approach to public safety, economic stability, and inclusive growth. His administration led nationally recognized governing innovations, including citywide college savings accounts for children, the nation’s first publicly funded guaranteed income pilot, elimination of public library fines, major long-term investments in housing, parks, infrastructure, and climate initiatives, and a significant reduction in violent crime.

Carter has a deep background in child and family support systems, having previously served as Executive Director of the Minnesota Children’s Cabinet, Director of the Minnesota Office of Early Learning, and Vice President of the Saint Paul City Council. He founded the Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood in 2009 and has built a well-earned reputation for pragmatic, people-centered leadership grounded in lived experience. A fifth-generation Saint Paul resident, Carter is a frequent speaker on equity-driven systems change, and the role of local government in addressing national challenges.

Anika Goss – Chief Executive Officer, Detroit Future City

Anika heads Detroit Future City (DFC), a nonprofit think-and-do tank focused on land use and sustainability, community and economic development, and economic equity in Detroit.

Anika leads a team of experts to implement the DFC Strategic Framework, a comprehensive 50-year guide to decision-making and investment in Detroit. Since taking the helm of DFC, Anika has repositioned the organization with several significant research studies, a web-based dashboard that tracks six indicators that illustrate the deep disparities that exist in Detroit and the region, and has awarded over $330,000 in grants towards vacant land revitalization.

Anika’s leadership has been recognized in Detroit and nationally, including Crain’s Detroit Business, Michigan Chronicle, and Corps! Magazine. Anika has also had numerous speaking engagements, including her recent TED Talk “Detroit’s climate crisis—and how to build a resilient future everywhere.”

Gena Wirth, RLA, FASLA – Design Principal and Partner, SCAPE

Gena works with cities, community advocates and landowners to reveal the immense ecological and cultural potential of public landscapes.

As Design Principal, Gena translates research into practice, leading the design and implementation of complex, multi-stakeholder landscapes—including public and private waterfronts, regional trail systems, parks, plazas and climate adaptation plans.

Gena is also a tenacious advocate for ecological systems design across the design fields — both as a member of the Dredge Research Collaborative, a non-profit group, and through past teaching positions at Harvard, Columbia, Syracuse and Rutgers. She also serves on SCAPE’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEIC), helping advance the firm’s commitments to social and racial justice within our work and throughout the field.

She is co-author of Silt Sand Slurry, published by Applied Research + Design Publishing.