From Pushcarts to Real Estate: Creating Opportunities for Earned Income
February 29, 2012 at 2:00 PM EST
City park managers are increasingly looking to commercial activity to generate revenue for park operations. Examples range from restaurants and cafes to facility rentals. If you’re starting out, how do you develop a strategy? What are the best models for commercial activities in parks of different sizes, from destination parks to neighborhood parks? What should an agreement between the park agency and vendor include? How can you take maximum advantage of on-site facilities? This webinar will provide an overview from the perspective of a consultant, a public agency and a non-profit organization.

City Parks Alliance and HR&A Advisors surveyed 58 dedicated park stewardship organizations across North America to understand their role in park management and the opportunities they create for signature city parks.  Among the findings were that these organizations augment public investment with substantial private funding to improve public spaces.

The typical organization sponsors 60 programs each year and provides park maintenance, volunteer recruitment, and other key functions. These parks are resourceful in securing funding, spending an average of $160,000 per acre managed, but real estate value capture remains a substantial, often untapped opportunity to support signature city parks. 

To read the full report, click here: Signature Park Survey

Washington, DC - 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.

Johnson Hall, Occidental College, Los Angeles
October 22, 2011 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
City Parks Alliance, in partnership with the California State Parks Foundation, is organizing a workshop that focuses on new models for sustainable urban parks stewardship, featuring local and national leaders.  The workshop aims to connect California park organizations with the national network of City Parks Alliance and to provide best practices, tools and informational resources to help improve California urban park organizations' effectiveness and enhance their ability to meet their parks' goals.

Washington, DC - The Red Fields to Green Fields concept of tearing down underused, overleveraged real estate to create urban parks and land banks won support from business leaders and federal parks officials at the June 16th gathering.

Baltimore, Maryland - The U.S. Conference of Mayors has adopted a resolution put forth by the national urban parks advocacy organization City Parks Alliance that encourages greater support for urban parks from the Obama administration, U.S. Congress, U.S. mayors and the private sector. 

July 22 – 23, 2011
Don’t miss this chance to join CPA’s inaugural summer parks tour, highlighting nine unique public/private park partnerships in Chicago, one of America’s greenest cities. Visit behind the scene sites, meet with experts and learn about new and innovative approaches to park management, programming, funding and stewardship.  Registration limited.  Deadline for registration is June 30.

David Jayo (REI), Charlie McCabe (Austin Parks Foundation), and Eric Tamulonis (Wallace Roberts & Todd) are the newest members of CPA's Board of Directors.

President Obama launches America’s Great Outdoors (AGO) Initiative

One of the key recommendations in the AGO report is to “Establish Great Urban Parks and Community Spaces” with a goal of creating and enhancing a new generation of safe, clean, accessible great urban parks and community green spaces.

2011 Day on the Hill
Washington, DC
Thursday, April 14; 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Join City Parks Alliance members and friends for our third annual Day on the Hill to make the case for federal investment in urban parks and greener cities.