Central Park is probably the world’s most recognizable urban oasis. But just a few decades ago, it wasn’t the clean, lush, Instagrammable park that it is today. In the 1960s and ’70s, the Park had fallen on hard times, along with the rest of the City. In 1980, a group of concerned citizens formed the Central Park Conservancy, which implemented the many steps needed to bring the Park back to its glorious self. Today, it’s the keystone of New York City — proof that to make great places, you need to make and maintain great parks.
Revitalizing and maintaining Central Park has taken years of hard work, from which the Conservancy has gained valuable knowledge in what it takes to reclaim and manage 843 acres of public parkland within one of the world’s busiest cities. Because it was such a long, enlightening road, the Conservancy has become a leader in the field of urban park management and public-private park partnerships — and has therefore made sharing the expertise it has gained with other park professionals one of the core parts of its mission.
To that end, in 2013 the Conservancy founded the Institute for Urban Parks, the vehicle through which it shares information in order to help other organizations renew and sustain their urban green spaces. The Institute’s newest project aims to share knowledge via the Partnerships Lab, an annual program that focuses on working collaboratively with selected partners to refine their long-term visions for their park and organization.
New and ambitious collaborations
After an open call for applications from nonprofit organizations and city agencies that manage or support the management of urban parks, eight partners were selected to participate in the Institute’s inaugural 2019–20 Lab, which started in September of this year.
The first eight partner organizations include three in New York City (Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Gowanus Canal Conservancy, Van Cortlandt Park Alliance) and five from across the country (Parks & People Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland; Forest Park Conservancy in Portland, Oregon; the City of Detroit’s Public Space Planning Unit in Detroit, Michigan; Balboa Park Conservancy in San Diego, California; and Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation in Austin, Texas).
As part of the application process for the Institute’s Partnerships Lab, prospective organizations had to share their long-term vision and propose a project that would help them achieve their goals. Over the course of the next six to 12 months, the Institute will help the chosen partners develop strategies to meet those objectives.
In addition to a capacity-building grant, the Institute will provide an array of resources, including staff time, technical expertise, external advising, and access to a broad network of urban park professionals in order to aid and cultivate these parks’ capacities to plan, develop, and maintain extraordinary public spaces.
“We are excited to deepen our partnership with parks in New York City and across the country,” said Elizabeth W. Smith, President & CEO of the Central Park Conservancy. “This program provides the opportunity to create a knowledge bank by strategically discovering and sharing information, which will have a positive impact on parks across the country and improve the quality of life for people in these communities.”
Vast resources for parks and partnerships
The Institute for Urban Parks shares strategies, experience, and expertise with other park professionals from around the world in a variety of capacities beyond its new Partnerships Lab. The Institute’s programs include thought leadership events like workshops and roundtables, professional continuing education programs, an array of online resources and tools, training opportunities, a peer-to-peer information exchangethat includes free consultations, and more.
Since its launch in 2018, nearly 60 urban park professionals have graduated from the Institute’s Urban Park Leadership Program. In partnership with the City University of New York School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS), this five-day, intensive course supports participants from local, national, and international urban parks with a rigorous curriculum focused on strategy, communication, and creative problem solving.
“The Urban Park Leadership Program was informative and valuable,” said Shawnell Faber, Director of Land Management at Forest Park Forever in St. Louis, Missouri. “Not only did this training provide an increased understanding of the tools necessary to traverse public-private partnerships, but it also delivered a great group of park leaders to network with.”
Through the Institute’s ongoing partnership with the CUNY SPS, the Institute has also developed and tested an online pilot of its Urban Park Management Certificate, a 12-unit non-credit credential for current urban park managers. This program will launch to the public in February 2020.
Committed to supporting parks and partnerships
Since its founding, the Institute has advised more than 600 parks and thousands of park professionals around the world.
“What the Institute brings is years of its own experience — and the ability to create a clearinghouse for other people and park organizations around the country who are struggling with the same challenges,” says Heath Riddles, CEO of Pease Park Conservancy in Austin, Texas.
As a leader in the field of urban park management and public-private park partnerships, the Conservancy’s success has paved the way for countless other urban parks and the partnerships that support them.
“Through collaborative and creative partnerships,” said Maura Lout, Executive Director of the Institute for Urban Parks, “we help to ensure that all communities receive the social, economic, environmental, and health benefits that parks provide when they are well-planned and well-maintained.”
