City Parks Alliance

We are honored to welcome City of Brownsville, Texas's Mayor John Cowen, Jr. as our newest Mayors for Parks Coalition member! Mayor Cowen supports increased federal investment in our nation’s community parks, recognizing that they are fundamental to healthy, connected, and revitalized neighborhoods. Learn more at mayorsforparks.org.

Looking forward to heading to Austin for City Parks Alliance’s #GreaterGreener conference! If we want to build truly sustainable, equitable, and connected cities, we have to talk about how we fund and care for our public parks. I’m thrilled to be joining Ben Donsky, Caroline Skuncik, and Allison Lankford to discuss a topic close to my heart on June 14 at 9:15AM: “Building Financial Resilience: Self-Funding Models for Public Parks.” We’ll be diving into how creative, sustainable funding governance can transform and sustain our public realms. Check out our session and the incredible lineup here: https://lnkd.in/gfZjteih

This month, I'm heading to Austin for Greater & Greener, where I'll be speaking alongside friends and colleagues leading some of North America's most influential public spaces. As a first time attendee, I'll be taking cues from John Surico of the Center for an Urban Future, Eric Landau from Brooklyn Bridge Park, Eileen Ong from the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, and Adam Forman of Raleigh-Durham. I'm looking forward to comparing notes on the challenges and opportunities facing cities as they work to grow, adapt, and better serve their communities. If you'll be there too, let me know | City Parks Alliance #GreaterGreener #GGAustin2026 Pictured: Butler Park and Alliance Children's Garden | City of Austin, Austin Parks Foundation, TBG Partners

Greater & Greener 2026 is where education and exploration converge. With both indoor and outdoor sessions, you'll cultivate strategies and tools on how to use parks to build more sustainable, vibrant, and equitable cities. Austin's parks will serve as our hands-on learning lab, showcasing the city's commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, and community well-being. Already registered? We can't wait to see you there. Still deciding? Don't wait. Only a few seats remain! greatergreener.org City of Austin The Trail Conservancy #GreaterGreener #GGAustin2026

Land Planning Executive Vice President Louis R. Johnson, PLA, ASLA is looking forward to sharing his insights and expertise on the extensive benefits of microforests on space-constrained, heavily polluted neighborhoods at this month's City Parks Alliance Greater & Greener conference in Austin. Micro Forests for Macro Change will dive into the Miyawaki method which allows tiny forests to thrive on small plots and grow rapidly in tough soil to deliver the benefits of much older forests within a decade. Join Louis, University of Louisville and Groundwork USA for an enlightening discussion on how parks can act as resilient infrastructure. Learn more about the session:https://hubs.li/Q04j3_G50. #GreshamSmith #LandPlanning #GenuineIngenuity #LandscapeArchitecture #CommunityImpact #Sustainability #UrbanDesign

Calling all urban parks boosters: join our Civic Commons all-stars at City Parks Alliance’s Greater & Greener conference in Austin, Texas from June 13 - 16. Longtime supporters Carol Coletta will moderate the Mayors Forum "Looking Ahead to 2028" and Alexa Bush is speaking in "Greenways That Reconnect Urban Neighborhoods and Catalyze New Investment." Our Civic Commons champions are well-represented: Daniel Rice of Akron is participating in the "New Roles for Park Partners in Disruptive Times" plenary session. He will also join Kevin Roche and Tonnetta Graham from Philadelphia and Jason Su, former San José convener, in the "Collaborating with Intention: Parks & Public Spaces as a Community Development Strategy" panel — all about the Reimagining the Civic Commons approach in these three cities. Check out their sessions! 📷 courtesy of City of Austin Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, The Kresge Foundation, Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, Knight Foundation, William Penn Foundation

What’s working in park partnership management in cities across the country? Find out, and share your own experiences, at our upcoming member-exclusive Peer Conversation on Tuesday, June 9 at 2 PM ET. We’ll first cover partnership agreement models in Raleigh, NC and Milwaukee, WI. Then, you get to talk– share your efforts on creating strong partnerships and agreements, exchange ideas with peers, and discuss common challenges and successful strategies. Register at: https://lnkd.in/gupi4U-9. Not a member yet? Sign up now to attend City of Raleigh Milwaukee Parks Foundation

Don't miss our incredible panel of Keynote speakers on this important topic ⬇️