August’s Frontline Park: Emerald View Park

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Angelina Horn

Each month, City Parks Alliance recognizes a “Frontline Park” to promote and highlight inspiring examples of urban park excellence, innovation, and stewardship across the country. The program also seeks to highlight examples of the challenges facing our cities’ parks as a result of shrinking municipal budgets, land use pressures, and urban neighborhood decay.

Overlooking Pittsburgh

Emerald View Park, Pittsburgh’s newest regional park, is a model of steep hillside conservation. When completed, the Park will result in 280 acres of playgrounds, playing fields, and landscaped lawns connected by 19 miles of wooded trails in a healthy forest wrapping around Pittsburgh’s most visited neighborhood. It will also provide bicycle and pedestrian connections to downtown Pittsburgh and regional trail systems. Over the last 150 years, the land has been denuded, mined, settled (and vacated), and dumped upon. The Mount Washington Community Development Corporation (MWCDC) and the City of Pittsburgh have met this challenge head on, and in the last five years have restored nearly 6 acres of view corridor and native hillside habitat, planted over 4,200 native trees and shrubs, removed 160,000 pounds of dumpsite debris, engaged nearly 6,000 hours of volunteer service and 4,000 hours of youth workforce development, purchased an additional 28 acres of land for permanent greenspace, completed a 19-mile trail plan, constructed the first new mile of trail, and enabled $3.6 million in investments to further the Emerald View Park initiative.

Trail crew

1.4 million visitors a year come to the unfinished park to enjoy sweeping views of Pittsburgh and her rivers and bridges, so it’s clear that the economic development potential of Emerald View is significant. However, through a partnership with the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, Student Conservation Association, and GTECH Strategies, the MWCDC is ensuring that these benefits are leveraged and experienced equitably. They are training and hiring young at-risk adults to construct the park’s trail system and to restore healthy forests. By providing green jobs training resulting in actual employment, this program is helping to build confidence, skills, and abilities for at-risk young adults, increasing the likelihood that they will ultimately compete successfully in today’s job market.

Emerald View Park is being featured on CPA’s website, www.cityparksalliance.org, during the month of August.

The “Frontline Parks” program is made possible with generous support from DuMor, Inc. and PlayCore.

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Parks Breathe Life (and Jobs) into Cities

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Angelina Horn

The South Platte River has become a cherished recreational asset for residents and visitors to Denver. Thoughtful, visionary planning and public-private partnership have restored and transformed the city’s waterfront from what was once called an “urban dump” to refuge for wildlife and people alike. Local efforts to improve the river have created new jobs and inspired economic development, and places for picnicking, biking, boating, dining, entertainment and even sunbathing on a sandy stretch of beach.

Much of this progress would not have been possible, however, without essential funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the nation’s primary tool for protecting open space in urban and rural communities nationwide. Denver, like cities across the country, relies on the fund to match state and local dollars to create and enhance urban parks and restore waterways.

Instead of using taxpayer money, the little-known LWCF is funded with fees paid by oil and gas companies drilling offshore. For nearly 50 years, the fund has protected national parks, wildlife refuges, rivers, parks, and ball fields in every state.

“The Land and Water Conservation Fund continues to be an essential tool to meet the increasing demand for livable communities in cities all across this country,” Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock said recently. “In Denver, we value our great open spaces and recreational facilities. These investments are as much economic investments for the city as they are quality of life investments for our residents. “

Denver isn’t alone. Recognizing the importance of parks to the vitality and health of their communities, 50 U.S. mayors joined Mayor Hancock in appealing recently to President Obama and Congress to maintain funding for LWCF during these difficult economic times.

With cities facing depressed property values, reduced tourism, and lower tax revenues, urban parks have incurred approximately $6 billion in deferred maintenance costs, according to Will Rogers, president of The Trust for Public Land. Newly released data from TPL’s Center for City Parks Excellence show that many city park systems are struggling to deal with budget shortfalls, resulting in fewer people employed in full-time and seasonal positions, and potential impacts on programs and services.

At a time when the nation is looking for every opportunity to create new jobs, mayors assert that parks are just as important to a city’s prosperity as banks, coffee shops, department stores, and corporate headquarters. In addition to luring tourists, parks bolster community home values. Mayors know that could mean more real estate tax revenue.

Furthermore, parks breathe life into communities. Urban parks are not just safe and beautiful retreats, but also help to address nearly every critical urban need from health to housing, education and environmental justice, countering sprawl, and combating crime.

Just last month, Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa announced a plan to create dozens of new parks throughout the city. The initiative is part of his goal to create a livable, vibrant and prosperous community, and at the same time drive economic development and create new jobs.

“Urban parks are more important than ever as cities grow larger and denser,” said Rogers. “Though budgets are tight everywhere, urban parks have consistently proven to be a wise investment, helping to improve health, increase environmental quality, and sustain property values.”

Are President Obama and Congress listening? Working together, we can revitalize and green our cities and create jobs. The Land and Water Conservation Fund is an essential tool for realizing that vision.

-  Catherine Nagel, Executive Director of the City Parks Alliance

This article was originally published in “The Hill” on December 20, 2011.

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City Parks Alliance Seeks Nominations for “Frontline Parks” Section on Website

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Angelina Horn
“FRONTLINE PARKS” highlights urban parks that are creating economic, environmental and social capital through new kinds of partnerships.  This feature on CPA’s website (www.cityparksalliance.org) promotes inspiring examples of urban park excellence, innovation, and stewardship across the country.

Twelve parks – one each month – will be featured on CPA’s website home page in 2012.  Each “Frontline Park” story will show how parks and their stewards are on the forefront of creating healthier, more sustainable cities.  With each month’s feature, CPA will coordinate with each park partner a joint press release for local, national, and social media to announce their selection as a “Frontline Park.”  Featured parks will also be included in CPA’s quarterly e-newsletter Benchmarks distributed to hundreds of CPA members and on the City Parks blog.

We are looking for the best stories.  Is there a non-traditional leader who has helped to bring about change in your local park?  How has park programming helped to address pressing urban issues, such as public health, job creation or community revitalization?  Have you done something really fun and innovative to increase revenue, cultivate volunteers or educate young people?  How did a crisis create an opportunity to build a new partnership?  Stories should be related to one or more of the following topics:

  • Community Capacity Building
  • Design
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Funding
  • Health
  • Maintenance
  • Programming
  • Public/Private Partnerships
  • Safety
  • Transportation
  • Workforce Development

For more information about application guidelines, please click here: Frontline Park Nominations

Filed under: crime & safety, economics, employment, funding, green infrastructure, health, maintenance/management, partnerships, planning, programming, transportation | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

The Nation’s Mayors Seek President’s Continued Support for Land and Water Conservation Fund

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Angelina Horn

50 mayors across the country urged President Obama this week to support federal funding of urban parks and green space as a strategy for creating jobs and driving economic development. Mayors from Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and smaller cities like Bozeman, Montana, and Bridgeport, Connecticut, sent a letter requesting the administration’s continued support for full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the nation’s premier tool for protecting open space in urban and rural communities nationwide without the use of taxpayer dollars. The City Parks Alliance met with senior White House officials this week to deliver the letter and discuss the importance of LWCF funding to America’s urban communities and economies.

The letter notes the significant economic impact these venues have had on local economics:

“Outdoor recreation activities contribute $730 billion annually to the U.S. economy, supporting 6.5 million jobs, according to the Outdoor Industry Foundation. New investments in parks could quickly create an added 100,000 to 200,000 positions—jobs based largely in communities and, thus, hard to outsource.”

The President’s proposed FY2012 budget recommends full funding for LWCF, including $200 million for matching grants to states and communities. The LWCF does not rely on taxpayer dollars, but rather on a very small percentage of fees paid by companies conducting offshore oil and gas production. Congress must appropriate the funds every year to parks. However, nearly every year since 1965—when the LWCF was created—lawmakers have largely diverted the funds to other, non-related purposes.

The mayors’ letter came just a week after U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar identified many renowned urban parks as places to create and protect in the final 50-State America’s Great Outdoors Report—a compilation of public feedback and strategic conversations with the nation’s governors and diverse stakeholders about locally-driven conservation opportunities. City parks in Cleveland, Detroit, Hampton, Va., Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were among the projects highlighted in the report representing “a 21st Century approach to conservation that is designed by and accomplished in partnership with the American people.” Research shows that urban parks help to drive tourism, raise property values, and help communities to thrive. A new study of Chicago’s Millennium Park, for example, concludes that the cultural, environmental, educational and economic benefits to the city quadrupled the value of the public-private investment in the space.

“Cities are the engines that drive the nation’s economy,” said Catherine Nagel, executive director of the City Parks Alliance, an independent, nationwide organization dedicated to urban parks. “Parks and green space are critical to helping our cities become healthier and more vibrant places to live and work, and the leadership of the president and Congress is critical to keeping this engine running.”

For 45 years, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has been a crucial source of support to conserve open space and water resources, while also funding new parks, trails, and recreational facilities in urban and rural communities.

“The Land and Water Conservation Fund continues to be an essential tool to meet the increasing demand for livable communities in cities all across this country,” said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. “In Denver, we value our great opens spaces and recreational facilities. These investments are as much economic investments for the city as they are quality of life investments for our residents. I applaud the President for his commitment and proudly sign the letter encouraging his continued support.”

President Obama acknowledged the importance of urban parks and open space and his support for the Fund when he released the America’s Great Outdoors report, saying:

“They help spur the economy. They create jobs by putting more Americans back to work in tourism and recreation. …They help Americans stay healthier by making it easier to spend time outside. And they’ll help carry forth our legacy as a people who don’t just make decisions based on short-term gains of any one group but on what’s best for the entire nation in the long run.”

The mayors, along with the City Parks Alliance, believe Congress should provide consistent funding for LWCF and not divert these funds for other purposes—a sentiment echoed by nine in 10 Americans, according to recent national polling.

You can read a copy of the mayors’ letter and a list of signees here.

Filed under: economics, employment, funding | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Park Ranger Shortages in Urban National Parks

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Coleen Gentles

Independence National Historical Park. Credit: NPS

It is easy to forget the many different types of parkland located in urban areas. Besides municipal parks, there are also state, county, regional and national parks. In the 85 largest cities, 15 cities are home to 48 National Park units, which include monuments, houses, forts, battlefields and preserves. Washington, D.C. has by far the most national park units (21 and counting) but smaller park units in other cities are also recruiting new staff.

With half of the nation’s park rangers slated for retirement in the next five years, the National Park Service has struggled with recruitment of new staff, especially in the urban park units. Enter in the “ProRanger Philadelphia” internship program, a joint effort between Temple University and the National Park Service, that placed 13 college students in urban national parks this summer. This pilot program trains (and pays) interns the beginnings of law enforcement while also exposing them to interpretation and maintenance of the park. While the program is targeted towards Criminal Justice majors, students from any major can apply. After successful completion of the program, interns are guaranteed National Park Service jobs upon graduation from college. The 12-week summer program can begin as early as the summer after freshman year.

One of the exciting aspects of this program is that it is attracting minorities to a career path that is not really diverse within the Park Service. Many of the students participating in the program had never met a park ranger before or even visited a national park. Others had never even considered a career with the Park Service. This program is giving urban minority students an opportunity to work in a national park in their home communities and should be used as a great catalyst to bring visibility as well as new users to city parks.

Recent articles in The Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer highlight the program at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore and Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, respectively. More information about the ProRanger Philadelphia program can be found here.

Filed under: crime & safety, employment, partnerships | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

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