“Alternative funding models for parks, while essential to helping our cities add and keep open space, are also raising many questions. How do we keep the public dollars in parks? How does a city balance the needs of downtown investment with neighborhood development? How can we marry private sector innovation with equitable provision of space in all kinds of neighborhoods? How can public space and private development be designed together for a better result for both?”
These were the important — and tough — questions discussed at the plenary session Tuesday at the Greater & Greener: International Urban Parks Conference in New York City. The City Parks Alliance seemed to realize that while it’s great to discussion visions and ideas at their conference, the devil’s in the details in executing many of these plans — especially when it comes to money.
Bringing together an Oklahoman mayor, a building developer, and an ‘eco-entrepreneur’ on a diverse panel, the group attempted to address these issues.
Mick Cornett, mayor of Oklahoma City, discussed his success in gaining momentum and support for a 70-acre downtown park, which he envisions as the cornerstone of revitalization for the city. For Cornett, funding was all about convincing people that the quality of life was worth the investment — even for people who didn’t live in the downtown area.
“We’ve convinced people that live in the suburbs that quality of life in core of city is directly related to them,” Cornett explained. “You can’t be a suburb of nothing.”
Kofi Bonner, a developer, showed what seems to be a clear theme at the conference — that more and more developers are starting to understand the value of greenspace and parks to residential developments.
“Park amenities are very very important to residential life. As a developer we understand the juxtaposition of open space and residential development,” Bonner explained. “We also want to maximize the pricing of our homes so it’s very important to increase the quality of life around those homes.”
But for Majora Carter, an “eco-entrepreneur” who founded and led Sustainable South Bronx from 2001 to 2008, the answer to securing funding and money for greenspaces could be summed up in a single word: tenacity.
“You must make sure the city understands the value [of greenspace] so that it will help with maintenance,” she said. “It’s all about the constant push – this is where you have to be so up in it – you cannot take no for an answer. Do what you need to do to make sure that those places stay beautiful and wonderful and promote that kind of consistent investment from the community. Don’t ever give up.”
