Public park executives and professionals from six countries were in Philadelphia until Tuesday, the final day of an international conference on urban parks.
The Greater & Greener Conference has brought together nearly a thousand park officials, planners, elected officials, and attorneys in Philadelphia to control our parks.
It was simply an incredible opportunity to meet leaders from all over the country and, you know, tell a little about Philly, said Maura McCarthy, executive director of Fairmount Park Conservancy.
The four-day event had sessions on sea level rise and other impacts of climate change, the construction of equal parks and the re-imagining of park rangers. Keynote speakers included Lena Chan, a biodiversity expert with the Singapore National Parks Board, and Deb Haaland, U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
The event also reviewed the lessons learned during the pandemic, said Catherine Nagel, executive director of the City Parks Alliance, the organization that hosts the conference each year. City officials say Philadelphia parks saw a 50% increase in visitors during the pandemic.
Everyone around the world has been traumatized by the pandemic, but it has certainly exacerbated existing trauma in so many neighborhoods, Nagel said. So we were watching how the parks were spinning really fast.
Philadelphia City officials saw the conference as a chance to showcase the Phillys Park system and the city’s approach to activating public spaces.
“I’m proud that world leaders will see the best Philadelphia has to offer in our parks and public spaces during the Greater & Greener conference,” said Mayor Jim Kenney in a written statement last week. Philadelphians love our parks and this is a great opportunity to show our cities the best public spaces and learn from other world class cities as well.
Last weekend, conference participants visited locations including the Philadelphia Flower Show, FDR Park, and the Schuylkill River.
Philly was selected years ago to be the venue for the 2022 conference, following a national competition. Nagel said her organization chose Philly not only because of how big the Fairmount Park system is, but all the work that has been done in neighborhood parks and in partnership with institutions such as libraries and schools.
Nagel said she was impressed by the way Philly is using its parks to address public safety and public health issues, as well as rising heat and flooding.
Philadelphia Green Storm water management program Green City Clean Waters has won awards for helping the city meet green infrastructure water quality mandates while saving money. And the Phillys Rebuild program, which revitalizes leisure centers, parks and libraries with city tax money on sugary drinks, is a unique model in the United States, Nagel said.
People from all over North America and beyond are considering what Philadelphia is doing, Nagel said. I have already heard that people hope to take these stories and examples and apply them in their home towns.
On the other hand, Philly can also pick out some new tricks.
McCarthy, with Fairmount Park Conservancy, said she has learned new strategies she hopes to apply to the Phillys park system especially around community engagement.
Programmatic strategies in terms of how you conduct community meetings? A kind of harmonizing voice that will never be seen face to face, she said. There is never just one way to make it work, so I like to look at the different strategies and techniques that people have brought into the game.
