 Good afternoon everyone. I'm Kelly jen and I serve as vice president for community and national initiatives at the Knight Foundation I am simply delighted to be here today to kick things off and welcome all of you to our Conversation titled public spaces as infrastructure how to use federal stimulus dollars to advance equity and Transform our cities. I want to start off by saying a particular Thank you to the entire community's team for organizing and especially Kyle Kudde chief our Akron program director for moderating today's Conversation at night. We've invested in public spaces Which we define loosely as spaces open to all like plazas Squares parks streets and more with the belief that inclusive public spaces can connect and attach us to each other and The places that we live in and in turn bolster engaged equitable and inclusive cities are North star here at the foundation Today you'll get a chance to hear directly from Julia Day and Aiman O'Connor from Who lead research into community involvement and engagement as a significant factor for increasing usage Attachment and trust in public spaces. They'll touch upon actionable takeaways from the report for you our audience as you design recovery for each of your cities and in 2021 how we can intentionally design public spaces in collaboration with community perhaps as a vehicle for addressing some more systemic issues Lastly, I want to note that in my virtual listening tour as I started at the foundation nearly three months ago I heard a chorus from communities that understand that the federal dollars are a once in a lifetime moment and Opportunity and they hope to seize upon this moment to use those dollars Equitably and efficiently. I hope that you find value in today's discussion And we at the foundation look forward to hearing more of your ideas on leveraging this moment now without further delay I will hand things over to Aiman and Julia to get our session started Thank you both for joining us today. I'm delighted you're both here and I'll turn things over to you Thank you Kelly thrilled to be here. Hi everyone, I'm Julia Day a director at Gale, New York I focus on developing projects that demonstrate public space as vital to our health economies and well-being and look forward to sharing some of our recent work with you and I'm Aiman O'Connor. I'm a project manager at Gale also out of our New York office really looking forward to Exploring with you all how public spaces can guide in a more equitable recovery as we share the our findings from our impact assessment in just a moment I'll hand it back to you Julia. Thanks Aiman So first before we launch into the adaptive public spaces report Gale is an urban design research and strategy consultancy that works to center people and lived experience in the city making process We use an evidence-based approach focused on the public space public life methodology to illustrate the connection between our behavior in public space and the built environment Using this we help cities gather data and stories on what we all care about but that is often very difficult to measure such as our sense of belonging Or our social connections. We do this work because we believe public spaces are a key component of engaging equitable and thriving communities The research we just did with Knight emphasized two core things one public spaces are vital components of our civic infrastructure And two it identified the key drivers of engaging in equitable spaces Together it is our hope that these findings will help make the case for more investment in public spaces and identify how those investments can be made for the greatest impact I'll pass it to Aiman who will take us through the report and some of these findings in more detail and what we think they mean for for this recovery Thanks, Julia So we recently released this report adaptive public space places for people in the pandemic and beyond in collaboration with the Knight foundation And we realize that it's coming at an especially critical moment for civic leaders and communities across the country This is an important moment as we navigate the covid-19 recovery and the many deep-seated crises it has laid bare And we also know that many civic leaders are awaiting infrastructure dollars But not necessarily sure where they can go and how they can be spent in the most equitable and efficient manner possible Moreover a challenge to it's a challenge to to demonstrate that public spaces are not just nice to have They're essential spaces to support our health our local economies and our trust in local institutions We believe public spaces have a vital role to play in this process So to give you a little bit of a background on our study We conducted a multi-method impact assessment to understand the impact of seven public spaces In four cities akron detroit philadelphia and san jose If you'd like to read more about our report, you can visit kf.org slash adaptive space to learn more The spaces we studied varied widely They were a mix of nature spaces smaller scale neighborhood parks citywide destinations And as you saw as you can see on the screen their look feel and energy varies widely uh in their Their look feel and energy varies widely But with the right ingredients we throughout the project life cycle We found that public spaces can guide an equitable recovery And they can guide this equitable recovery for the sake of our health our economy and our democracy And here's a few key ways that they've they've done just that in these seven public spaces across akron detroit philadelphia and san jose So public spaces have helped us recover our health For many many years, but perhaps most especially in this recent pandemic where we saw people seek out public spaces as a refuge for their physical and their mental health We saw a rise in foot traffic and activity across many of the public spaces We studied in many cases as people were sort of stir crazy seeking public spaces as an outlet for For their exercise as a place of calm and serenity in a very challenging time Um spaces like elephant sterile park in detroit continue to host their hula hoop troop Which continued to meet during the pandemic, but we also saw At summit lake park in akron ohio that markets like its fresh food market continue to help ensure healthy food access and security in this community We also found discovered how public spaces have become a real Driver of economic growth in their communities and we believe that as a result public spaces can help us recover our economy As we emerge from the cobit 19 pandemic We this is the case because public spaces can generate jobs They can catalyze small business growth and they could they can power equitable community economic development So for example at san jose moment a micro retail space 10 all 10 of uh the the micro retail spaces tenants today have been women and eight have been women of color that each of them has spoken to how The project has really catalyzed their small business growth and their their creativity We've also seen how maintenance can be a pathway to workforce development and job creation such as an elephant sterile park in detroit Or 20 different local residents have been employed through a workforce program in partnership with the city and the local organization greening of detroit But we also see more broadly that the public space planning process and design process can become a platform for broader conversations around equitable community-centered economic development at summit lake park in akron, ohio You know james who will join us in a moment spoke about just that And how the public space was in many ways the first step in powering an over 50 million dollar vision planning process That's now underway in the longest invested summit lake neighborhood We also see how public space can help us recover our democracy and our trust in local institutions and civic life In our study we found that sustained funding for these projects and a community participation throughout the project life cycle really helped residents regain civic trust and pride in their neighborhood and local institutions and local government this happened because Residents were encouraged to participate early on in the project planning process pop-ups and pilots were a sort of a visible marker Of the local institution's commitment to the public space planning and design process And in the words of one resident grace hudson from summit lake, you know We really saw the manifestation of this conversation bloom into actual fruits of the conversation So to be able to see that sort of that that visible fruit Come come to life in the form of public space Really helps residents regain trust in the institutions that maybe have not always cared for cared for their needs Historically due to a long time disinvestment We also see though that after the design process spaces like the discovery center in philadelphia Have made sort of ongoing community governance and participation and power building a part of their structure Ensuring community representation on their boards Very well engaged staff and volunteer engagement teams that help drive community participation and continued pride in the space And this sense of ownership and pride really translates You know to the day-to-day use of these spaces as people, you know build a sense of ownership over the space It sure draws less litter and vandalism But in the words of chris spar from philadelphia centennial commons. It also builds a sense of pride and neighborhood in place So now is the moment based on these findings to really commit to public space as a vital form of infrastructure in our communities A form of infrastructure that can improve our health that can generate jobs that can support civic life Again, if you'd like to learn more about our report You're welcome to to visit it online at kf.org slash adaptive space, but i'll hand it over to julia to close us out thanks, amen So, you know as as many of you listening in may may have been following the term infrastructure is being expanded and and we love that It's to expand more than roads and bridges Yet we know that we need to keep expanding on this to ensure it also includes public spaces And the organizations and agencies that make them run delivering on this means funding What would actually make public spaces hum the people and the essential work they do to keep them open and welcoming beyond the ribbon cutting Today as we recover from the pandemic we want to create a better future not simply to return to how things were We are recovering more than our health and our economic security We are recovering our trust in government and our civic institutions and to get there we need sustained investment in our public spaces So we're thrilled to be here and to hear what the the panelists and the local leaders who you're going to hear from have to say And with that i'll pass it back to kyle kuduchiff with the night foundation Julia, amen. Thank you so much for those uh comments and overview of the report You did a an excellent job of taking something very long and condensing into a really a great intro to begin our conversation today So thank you. Uh, as julia mentioned i'm kyle kuduchiff I'm fortunate to be night foundations program director in akron and i have the pleasure of moderating An excellent panel to talk about exactly what what julia said We're in a moment where cities are seeing a significant shift in their cash position And we want to talk about how we make the most of that that moment and the months and years ahead So with that, I want to introduce our panelists Rhonda Chapman is the equity director at trust for public land Joe court right is the director of city observatory in portland, oregon and james hardy is the deputy mayor For integrated development at the city of akron panel. Welcome. Uh, and to kick us off ronda I'd like to start with you for uh, give each of you a moment moment to share some opening reflections on What gal shared or what you're thinking about? Public spaces as we head into this conversation Awesome. Um, thank you so much kyle and thank you everybody for allowing us to be here the trust for public land really honors this space So in terms of the report, um, I really appreciated the centering of community particularly As it relates And resonates very strongly to the work that we're doing at the trust for public land Um, we are very focused on advancing equity and community health and climate resilience And we can't do so without putting community at the center. And so I might be stating the obvious Um, when I say this but we will always be playing a game of catch-up when it comes to prioritizing Communities here in the us These are the communities that have been made vulnerable to bad policies since the beginning of our democracy as amen pointed out So I've just I felt like the the report Um really resonated with some of the principles that we have Um along the lines of centering community and so in doing so, uh, we need to make sure that We have those guardrails in place to guarantee that We're not going to further any past terms that we will instead set them up for long-term Sustainable well-being Which is what we just heard from julia. So there's just so much that got me excited about it I think your point around taking a really complex issue and condensing it in a very readable and accessible way was really beneficial uh, and thinking about it in terms of This like tranche of funding that's coming out We're witnessing the current administration call out racial equity through various executive orders and in the various committees that are being formed Which is super exciting And in that process that we have to act with the swiftness Because as invigorating as it is it's just a flashpoint in time And we really do need to be thinking about the long game We need to be thinking about the next administration and the administration after that and thinking about um our future generations and so While we have this like tension between okay, so we we have this these toolkits We have these recommendations and all of these amazing tips for how to really invest in community in public spaces The challenge I see is that we need to do so with care And that care comes with the process particularly when it comes to the rapid deployment of these federal dollars. So I appreciated that the report encouraged us to really invest in capacity building I appreciate the truth behind Doing so in a way that encourages us to limit the traditional funding restrictions That come along with these dollars as often as possible And then lastly I would just add that when we put federal dollars in the community, that's a really really good thing But at the same time if we're not taking corrective action to address the history of place To address the root of the inequities Then the communities are just going to find themselves in the same position after the quick fix of funding So that's really what I pulled from the report. I was very happy to see it articulated in such a way And just the chance to restate it Rhonda, thank you so much. Joe. What are your initial thoughts? Yeah, I I thought it was really interesting to see the the diversity of projects and the The impacts that they had on the local communities and the uptake that you see in in the use of public space where we make Investments in it that are the kinds of things that people are looking for And and to me just to expand the context of that I think what it shows is is really an unrequited demand for For great and better and more inclusive urban spaces And that you know, that's been part of our work at city observatory is really understanding Where the market is moving by market. I mean, you know, what people want and and we see a big demand for walkable communities. We know that people Because we don't have very many great walkable communities in the united states have to pay a premium to live in them But that signals that there's a real economic value associated with those We see lots of young people moving back into urban neighborhoods And a big component of that is the kind of quality of public space That's available in those places. So what this signals to me is And it should signal. I think to policymakers is when we make these, you know, smart judicious inclusive investments in public spaces It has an impact on the market. It meets a real need and And then that can be a platform and a a stimulus To improving the economy and the sustainability of places So I yeah, I was good to see that That very particular evidence of how these projects Function to meet that that really unrequited demand for urban space And james, how about you? Yeah, I I would ditto the the comments from my fellow panelists and I would say that Again the Making the hard link between public space And economic development is so important, especially now Given how cities people in my position are looking at The guidance that came out yesterday still trying to dissect it to digest it and figure out how to Uh make place a priority and so I think that by making the connection between Public space not being just a nice thing to have if you can afford it But really truly as a platform and catalyst for economic and community regeneration Is something that we need to focus on and then I would I would double down also on something that joe said around The importance of recognizing that place is means different things in different places and One of my colleagues alexa bush from detroit says this and I think it's true that You know in dense urban places Public spaces are the living room for lots of people. They need it And then you look in sort of post industrial america where it's detroit nacron And everybody's primarily in a single family house And so they look at public space from a very different perspective and so Making sure sort of coming full circle to what ron has said that your process is good so that you're building and you're investing In space design and space utilization that actually matches What the community wants as opposed to Uh what seems to be trendy so that's what I thought Great. Thank you james and one note for our audience as you're listening to the discussion You can also participate and share your questions Their questions are being monitored on zoom facebook youtube Linkedin and on twitter using the hashtag public spaces lab. So you write a question someplace We are going to find it and try to work it in with our panel. Um, so James I want to stay with you. Uh, if you don't mind How big a deal is the american rescue plan for a city like acron? So I'll paraphrase uh, president biden from when he was vp. It's a bfd I mean, it's a big freaking deal. Uh, they the federal government Yeah, the federal government for the I would say for the last Oh gosh since the 1970s quite honestly since richard nixon believe it or not has been declining and cutting It's it's direct aid and support to cities and that's over democrats republicans doesn't matter and so this is a huge shift in policy and one that Is really comes at a critical time, but also Like with anything federal money these have strings attached And so to rana's point in terms of we want to be thoughtful We need to be thoughtful But we also have three years to get the money out the door and so we're very we're very lucky And and in acron from the standpoint that through the civic commons work and through some of the other Engagements that we've been doing the last five or six years Process is very much ingrained in how we're approaching it Which is how I think we were able to Um convince the mayor and his initial framework that was released a few weeks ago To put 30 million of the city of acron's 153 ear market for public space. And so I think That's that clearly wouldn't have happened without a lot of legwork But I think it's also going to be important for cities that maybe are approaching this with a bit of a uh of a of a fire Exercise meaning, you know, they didn't necessarily have a process in place They're now getting more money than they've seen in a long time How do they Both build the political will within their local municipalities for public space, but then to rana's point, how do you How do you stay intentional and make sure that your process and your ultimate Invest investment Is is equitable from from a lot of different lenses So let's build on that point, uh, you know ronda as you hear james comments. What makes public Spaces an immediate and actionable place to to advance equity well, you know, um from a from a green space and parks perspective, um, our research at the trust republic land has found that 100 million people Which is about more than one in three americans or more than one one in three people in the united states Including 28 million children don't have access to a park within a 10 minute Walk or jaunt And so the data reveals that all across the the country the parks that are serving primarily non-white populations are half the size of the parks that are Um serving majority white populations and five times more crowded. So when we're talking about this in terms of Of equity and in terms of deployment of federal funding All we need to do is look back at the pandemic that we're still in We still have a bunch of inequities, uh, flitting about us We see that the need for safe quality outdoor access Is super super apparent and so when we're talking about it in terms of creating, um jobs So we've got the the parks jobs and equity act That is a great opportunity for us to take the what are my panelists and I are bringing together under one umbrella, right? We're investing in the economics Creating job workforce. We're investing in you know an equity. We're investing in parks These are the opportunities for us to move forward. So we the challenge is though, um We shouldn't need a global crisis to inspire these investments um when we're in the state of Only taking the reactive approaches, which we kind of don't have much choice. It's like here's a bunch of money as James has pointed out you have three years to spend it. Um When we when we have to take those kind of practices on we lose people and other assets along the way And then we find ourselves paying a greater cost later on down the road so Um, we need to be thinking beyond this moment as I said earlier But the time is now we've seen it from our cities. We've seen it in our rural areas as well um We really don't have much choice but to move forward and invest in these spaces And uh as a quick follow-up, you know, one of the data points at tpl has become very well known for is the walk score How do you uh think about the walk score other data points helping cities be a bit more strategic about making sure underserved communities get resources Uh in the next couple years for a public space Sure, so we um, it's we have the park score Um And that's actually about to get re-released. We do an annual lunch So everybody be on the lookout on may 27th We're going to be launching that and the reason why that's so important is we have brought on an equity indicator for that um, so people are able to use that data um The park score index ranks how well park systems in the 100 largest cities are serving the residents there And it's been a tool for um municipal leaders and other park advocates to compare the acreage the investment the amenities and the access of these parts to um communities and so With that we use our park serve which is also a comprehensive database of parks in 14 000 cities and towns across the us and we work with the park agencies and community-based organizations for them to um identify where the parks are most needed Based on population density based on, uh, children and based on low-income households. So we um, those are accessible resources that folks can go to tpl dot org and find access to those that we definitely are Trying to put out as much data as possible so that our city planners can prioritize appropriately Thank you the park score that is a park that is a 10-minute walk from a resident That's the the goal right that's the goal everybody Within a 10-minute walk. That's right. Thanks for the correction. Uh, so joe james outlined a process, uh referring To a potential, you know fire drill a lot of money coming in fast And city is trying to figure out the best place to put it that doesn't always lead to the best outcomes Or you know if we look at our our history the the big money seems to go into Adding a lane to a highway or doing some kind of bland high dollar low impact infrastructure investment. How are you? thinking about cities doing more with this moment in time Yeah, I I think that's the big challenge that we face because in a way some of the way this is being pitched is as a You know a recovery program like a classic public works recovery program Where the effort is to get a lot of people employed and I and I think if we view it that way That's a real really a mistake because it doesn't really matter what you spend the money on it all creates jobs The question is really the legacy that it creates And I think you know, we face an uphill battle in some respects because first of all as we all know in the matter matter of political vernacular Uh infrastructure to most people means roads and bridges. That's what they say Um what that misses to me is that you know, not all infrastructure is equally good or equally useful Or or is timely I mean in the 1940s and 50s, maybe building roads and bridges was critical to our economy But it's not at all clear that the u.s suffers from a shortage of roads and bridges today. And in fact arguably particularly freeway widenings Are the kind of infrastructure that spread us or tear us apart rather than bring us together As opposed to the kinds of infrastructure we've been talking about today in terms of parks and public spaces Which are the things that do bring us together and help Make us a more inclusive community and that are in many respects both as indicated by park score by walk score and other things Uh are in short supply. They're in the there are the things that we need And I think you know in many respects, maybe what we need to do is think back to You know the great depression and the and the new deal And the legacy that I think we can find in every one of our communities Of the projects that were constructed by the work works progress administration Many of the more parks a lot of more public spaces a lot of more sort of iconic structures That all signified the importance of the commons and public spaces So I think that's you know, that's something that as advocates we need to talk about is What's the right infrastructure that we need for the situation that we find ourselves in today? challenged as we are by You know by social upheaval by the need to recover from the pandemic And to cope with climate change and all of those priorities ought to take us in a very different direction than the than the now outdated idea that infrastructure is some outroads and bridges James what's your reflections on what joe just shared? Yeah, I I 100% agree and and I've been using that terminology in terms of thinking about the new deal and the great depression And particularly works progress administration, but also the civilian conservation core. We talked about we heard in the presentation from gail the the greening of detroit programs and some of the things that That are already underway in a lot of our communities, but could be seeded and grown and become more impactful uh with these dollars and I think that The other piece of it and and I think we're all sort of preaching to the choir probably to the people that are listening in as well That infrastructure needs to be more than roads and bridges I would only go a little bit farther to say that quality is also important. So it's it's not just enough in my opinion to um Count the acreage of green space in your particular neighborhood or in your particular city What is the quality? What is in the space is the space responsive and welcoming? to the uh to the immediate neighborhood and I think that that's Something that we value quite a bit in akron one of our values is beauty is a basic right and we mean that in lots of different ways, but one of them is You know beauty in nature. You should have the ability To go to your neighborhood park and it should have the things that you need it there It should be exciting. It should be welcoming. It should be attractive And so it's not just a big green field and we call it a park So I think that's the other thing that that we're thinking about is how do we improve quality with in our existing acreage? Um as much as we are thinking about, you know adding parks if that makes sense It's sort of the sort of the park version of not adding lanes, right? Some cities need to add park But in some cities like akron for example, we're we're way Um above national average when it comes to the amount of acreage per Per person what we're looking at is where is that acreage? Is it equitable to run this point? Is it accessible to everyone in our in our neighborhoods regardless of where you live and then is equality One of the lines that stuck with me in gell's intro was the right ingredients for public spaces And that this is not just about building a bunch of capital projects But it's about co-creation with residents making sure that the neighbors and the neighborhoods Where these projects are going to be done are a part of the process and have a say In what their you know public place is going to look like both in the construction and the stewardship ronda How do you see How do we better do you agree with that one? How do cities better work with the people in place you and akron? Before we started our reimagining the civic commons work We had a long legacy of things being done to people and not with people And you know people coming in and telling them how it's going to be and then leaving and and they're being So we've really tried to make an effort around around co-creation and co-stewardship So, uh, love to hear your thoughts on how cities can do that better. Absolutely. I appreciate you naming that and owning the past And because akron is not unique. I think we can say every every city every town has That as part of their legacy That we need to be correcting for and so from my perspective because this work is so relational Start with investing time. I know that we we have a tendency Um to see you know money as the primary resource the primary Vehicle for investment, but time is also a resource And so if we can invest with time building the connections And the trust before a project is even a twinkle in your eye You know, it's it's very common for us to walk through Communities and neighborhoods and see all the things that we want to flip fix Without making a connection with the people that we're walking past along the way And so these are those moments especially now that we're seeing one another outside more to stop and introduce ourselves in these neighborhoods and these communities I know um when I think about partnerships. I think about them As partnership with the capital p and I think about them as partnership with the lowercase p And I think all of them are necessary, but they don't carry the same weight And from my perspective and probably all of us I imagine When we have a capital p partnership, those are the ones where the folks in community Not only know our organization's name But they know us by name as we're walking through the community and they know us in a very positive way They don't see us as the folks that did as you were just naming Kyle come in and then and then just belt After we you know drop in and do this little project and so When you know when people know you by name as you're walking through the neighborhood That gives you an indication of like what type of partnership you're actually in And as you're looking to expand and move beyond the people that you have been partnering with traditionally um If you are really vested in these capital p partnerships that community will vouch for you when you decide To extend yourself to communities in which you haven't yet worked, right? So there's a great benefit Just it's about our humanity. It's very easy to get caught up in Having to be so connected to our deliverables Uh, I understand it. I'm a part of it. I definitely am not going to pretend like I'm I go through this with a high level of perfection But we all love these projects because they help us validate our existence. They help us validate our missions But we also know That these projects are not going to fix the systemic Injustices that we're trying to repair right now So we need to figure out a way to repair the to to excuse me to pair the two So investing in capital p partnerships on a very, you know, one-on-one human level before we get started on What is this project? What is this thing? I'm trying to fix I think is the best way for us to get started if you're not doing it already That's great. I love the capital p lowercase p partnerships. I'll be stealing that. That's a very appropriate for this work Joe, we've uh ronda just touched on uh public spaces and equity. What about economic development? public spaces have a very, you know powerful role in talent choosing cities and then Cities becoming places where people want to live Why is it good for city leaders for their bottom line to be investing in high quality public space? well, I just Quickly say, you know, what we've been tracking is through a series of studies We've done called young and restless that well educated young people are increasingly moving to cities in the united states and the places they seem to be moving are the places that have Lots of public and private amenities and and great public spaces And then they can also be a force an economic force that that reinforces those those great spaces and then also helps stimulate The local economy and and and we know that the biggest attractor for firms moving into places is The availability of talented workers Now that said I just want to touch on something that that ronda said because I think there's a tension there You know, ideally you want to build a really strong relationship with folks in the community but You know, there's this old saying about what the A lie can run a mile before truth before the truth gets its shoes on And my concern is if if we spend too much time, you know, thinking about process There are a lot of you know, like highway departments with shovel ready projects that are going to beat us to the punch Um, and one of the really encouraging things to me from public state standpoint is how during the pandemic How quickly we've modified not in a permanent way, but in a trial way public space, you know We've got restaurants spilling out onto sidewalks We've got cities doing open streets Basically reallocating space from from cars to to bikes and pedestrians and to more active activities And that spirit of of quick innovation And then and then modifying it as we need to tweak it based on experience seems to me to be really important We need to have a sense of of urgency Um as well as a commitment to engagement You know, otherwise, I think we run the risk that Um, you know waiting waiting to get to consensus will leave us, you know As also rands in in what is really a fire drill over where this money goes And so james, let's throw that you know challenge to you. How how do you think about deploying these resources in the city? Uh balancing both the need for resident engagement, but also you've only got two and a half I think it's december of 2024 these funds need to be out the door That's you got to move fairly quickly. How do you guys prioritize uh projects? Yeah, so as I said before I think we were blessed to have had the civic commons experience and and to be a part of it and sort of to go through a lot of those years of surfacing confronting and reckoning with Very bad and and racially discriminatory Past practices, but both of the city was complicit in as well as the state and federal governments Not everyone has done that as ronda said and so I think the other thing Uh, so two things that I would say to to answer the question more directly is um I think what we've learned in akron and in detroit and in chicago and memphis and other cities Is that you can prototype and you can you can invest while you're engaging? So I think that we we have to get over the notion that It's it's a linear Process that we are going to sort of conceptualize a project project engage the community And and then get to the design bid process that we can actually Get out into the communities where we've identified there being an equitable issue or an equity issue I should say and start to talk about Um, maybe it's a it's a group of vacant lots. Maybe that needs activated Maybe it is an existing park that has been run down and needs some tlc And oftentimes it's not the first investments out of the gate are not the iconic structures They're new playgrounds. They're barbecues. They're fire pits. There are things that create again that welcoming inviting Um moment that the neighborhood then sort of reclaims the space And so I think you can you can do chew gum and walk at the same time with this But then the other thing I would say is that I guarantee in every city of almost any size Whoever does the capital budget or someone who's working in parks maintenance or someone Has a laundry list of needs That are just as shovel ready As that as that resurfacing project that the that somebody else might want to do And so I think surfacing those bringing those to the forefront and saying hey, we've known for years that we have all of these outdated playgrounds that we have not figured out we have in akron for example We have way more baseball fields than we have used for anymore that was created and built long ago So there's things like that that that you can pivot to that are less about not necessarily Worthy of large engagement processes But are low-hanging fruit things that could at least show the value or show the need Within the bucket of public spaces, but again, I think the biggest answer there is That there are good models Available already to American cities on how you can engage invest And and create that cycle ongoing cycle So that doesn't have to be linear and sort of start stop that you can do them both at the same time We're getting several questions from the panel or excuse me from the audience that I think are a good transition off your last comments James, which is about maintenance. So let's say the folks who've been watching this webinar came into it. We're Thinking that public spaces is a good investment What what happens when the money runs out and it comes time to operate and maintain these assets? Let's go Joe and then ronda Um, yeah, that's a big challenge and our our our friend at strong towns chuck marone makes a really good point that that we think of infrastructure always as assets and we tend to think of more as better but Um, with every asset comes the need to maintain it And I think that's that's one of the things that that we need to give some thought to and and I think, you know You know as the experience of acorn illustrates There is a lot of low-hanging fruit to spend money to fix up And repair and bring into a good state of good maintenance The existing assets that we have and in many ways Um, that can be done very quickly that creates jobs So that probably should be one of the emphases that we really make In this discussion And I don't know the the data point, but I'd be curious You know how if we took the entire parks maintenance budget for the city of acorn and applied that to road maintenance How many miles of road would we get you know a one one hundredth or one? You know, I don't I know it'd be a very small fraction of what we're spending on that stuff So how what what are the investments that are going to have that outsized impact in the next two years? ronda, what are your thoughts? yeah, I The you know many many years ago here in dc. I'm in washington dc. And then when I was wearing a different hat professionally I was working alongside a housing rights organization who was Really lifting up a black workforce project and program here in the district and they ended up drafting a report called training to death Where we had all kinds of workforce development training opportunities to bring people in they would give You know for anywhere from four to twelve weeks of their time unpaying to get certified to do Project xx with water infrastructure or some level of building infrastructure And then at the end of that there would be no job for them There was always a way for folks to work around actually hiring these individuals So they gave up so much of their time And then at the same time we're hearing the the very true cry around the maintenance for our green infrastructures and our parks and on our city streets And so i'm not sure where the detachment or the the separation of the two existed I don't know who who what entity what process is responsible for that But I will I do want to push back a little bit though And I do this often Probably at my own Demise around this the sentiment around urgency. I think when we do operate out of urgency This is what we're left with it's the what happens next and so when we are planning for the long haul I agree that this this maintenance actually is probably where we need to begin the conversation Because the building of the park And the the green space infrastructure is kind of the easy part right? That's that's but that the the part around that maintenance is real That's all I can say about it It's a very real dilemma and we need to stop overlooking it in our planning and design phase James any thoughts on maintenance operations? I know you spend a lot of time on that on the average week Yeah, two thoughts one is is um That again, I think to to the maintenance point is also my point that I think the best place to start is within your existing Park system, you know, just look at what you've got already And is it quality? Is it not the second thing which ronda? illuminated for me as well as that There's so much opportunity for equity in who is building these what are the contractors? Um, it's a it's a great opportunity to diversify the supplier base for a city Um, we are working here in akron, but there are tons of programs across the country to do Minority capital access for for contractors small medium and large prime sub And everyone in between I think there's a great opportunity to make sure You also are being intentional about who is getting the bids at the end of the day to do the projects within the parks That's a great opportunity for us to also bring in construction managers and Landscapers and all kinds of others who know their business very well and can be can help with the maintenance question But also at the same time ultimately diversify your supplier base And james is is that going to do anything in purchasing to operationalize that? Yeah, so we just um Hired our supplier diversity manager, which a lot of organizations in the private sector have but more and more in the public sector We did a full study Examining um, we took our 2019 data and broke it apart to see how equitable we are and In the mayor felt strongly we needed to make that public and so Our number our our black spend for the city back in 2019 was five percent. It's it's atrocious and I think that was a motivating factor to Sort of put out a call not just for internally at the city for all of us to change and we now are Creating the space within our procurement But also a specific division that works alongside all of us as department heads to diversify But a call to the greater community that we need procurement reforms This is again another area as we're about to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in our community Who are winning the bids? Who is ultimately getting these service contracts? That could be a great opportunity for us to build wealth and equity within that In the time we ever made let's talk about the future This is but one tranche of funds that an important tranche but More federal money will be coming and city budgets renew each year So any thoughts on how getting it right in this moment can help inform The future your moves of the city and the Priorities of the city Rhonda, I see you nodding. So I'll start with you Well, I'm mostly nodding because that is the question Yeah, exactly right. It feels like a moment to prove it. I mean, we've been taught if you were a city that was in a Tough environment of scarcity prior and now all of a sudden it feels more flush because of the federal funding Now's the moment to stop talking and start walking And the shovels that could put in the ground with these funds are going to be the best illustration of where your priorities really are And so, you know, how can how can leaders that that want to get it right get it right? Well, I think in one in one instance is to take stock of where your investments have already occurred and go elsewhere So we have a tendency especially when we're fighting against time To to go to the quick and easy win This is a community we've been working with for the last 20 years And we know them there and they know how to manage the funds and and you know They're very comfortable and familiar in this space. And so yet again They continue to get reinvested and then we still have community across the across the highway That still keeps missing that opportunity because they don't have a relationship Maybe they don't have the same fiscal strength that makes them feel like a good Community partner to receive these fundings. And so I just want to encourage us To step away from our norm Remove ourselves from our status quo and challenge ourselves a little bit more And one of the ways we can start that is looking in our environmental justice communities And begin there because those are the areas again that we have to continue to play catch up with And I think that also looking at the communities That are in our prioritize are the communities that we're prioritizing excuse me that are founded and led by The people of color that lived in those neighborhoods. So one of the things we see in many cities. We've got a lot of well funded um Wonderful community-based organizations that don't actually live and exist within the communities that um are receiving the services Or the work or the project or what have you and I would love to invite us to turn that around I think we can get a lot farther in that way Because we're not starting at the same place Joe we're there uh, you know data points that city should be looking at how does city observatory to identify Parts of a city or a neighborhood that should be made a priority for public space investment Yeah, I think looking for the underinvested spaces is really good. I think to a point that alexa bush made Uh from detroit the other day thinking about critical mass how all the pieces fit together to get you to triggering A change in a neighborhood is really important. So being strategic about that is important I think we've you know, we've touched on the major points here You want stuff that you know reduces your maintenance cost now? Um that hopefully has some sustainability to it and then contributes to the to the economy of the area That is changes the incentives for investments so that so that an area becomes better resourced over time And i'll just give you one data point, which is we know Building more building more highways widening highways unequivocally reduces city population. I mean, that's a statistical fact So the more we invest in certain kinds of infrastructure the more we really undermine the health of our economies Uh in contrast, we know that investments in public space is demonstrated by the gale report You know, it really is an opportunity to trigger Greater economic health and then that's really the foundation for a lot of the sustainability that we're looking for What question from the audience around? policy recommendations around maintenance Maintenance is a popular one today. Um, did you know of any? Cities that have done a good job around a policy to operate and maintain public space after it's built James I see you nodding so i'll start with you Um, that they are out there. I would say that a great resource is the city parks alliance greater greener had a big focus on that I think right before the convening before the pandemic that um, obviously new york city Is a best in class example of how they how they keep track of every asset in a park and its age and and when something breaks They're right out there obviously we can't all be necessarily at that level but I do think that we are trying at least in in In our situation more the mid-sized american city Trying to take what we can from it. How do you utilize 311? How do you geocode? I know this is really getting wonky, but We're launching a project this year where we're going to have summer interns Literally taking pictures of and geocoding every park bench every tree Everything that's in a in a park so that our park's maintenance group Which is a fraction of what it used to be underpaid undervalued like all the other cities in america But we can at least equip them with technology and the ability to Track our our spend within city parks and make a better value argument come budget time Hey, look we've done x amount of calls for service. We've had to fix this bench a hundred times We've had to you know all these different things we can then use data To to make a better case for ourselves that we need to increase parks maintenance So we're we're playing catch-up at least in our in our town around that But I do know that again city parks alliance has been a might be a great resource for folks to check out or ask them What cities are really doing this well? Great and ronda and joe I'm getting a note that we are getting up on time. So maybe share your thoughts and then How people can engage with trust for public land and then city observatory in the weeks and months head to continue to learn from your Your respective networks. So ronda will start with you Sure. So I I think I mentioned at the top on may 27th We will be doing our annual launch of the updated park score I'm not going to give you any sneak peeks, but it's very exciting Particularly as we talk about public space and equity There's a lot to be said there. So please Log in to tpl.org and follow us there And also if anybody is interested in having a deeper conversation with me directly or If you would look for a connection within our organization feel free to hit me up on linkedin I'd be very happy to connect with you And I just want to lastly just say thank you for this conversation I appreciate all the different dynamics that we're here. So that's it for me Thank you so much ronda. Joe take us home Yeah, thanks, and you can follow our work at city observatory. We're spending a lot of time right now on sort of the flip side of the equation which is Working with freeway fights around the country because there are a lot of places around the country where We know there's a lot of resources and unfortunately a lot of political attention going into projects that Are really undermining the public realm rather than helping it. So visit us at city observatory to learn more That is a whole webinar in and of itself what you ended there, but i james any closing thoughts No, I just appreciate the the conversation and I would tell all of my city colleagues watching that it will be okay And and you will find a way to make good investments and always here to help Yeah, well james ronda. Joe. Thank you so much for your comments, and i'll say on behalf of night We wanted to convene this webinar because we know This is a once in a lifetime moment and there's a lot for us all to learn So we look forward to continuing the conversation the weeks and months ahead and really appreciate you joining us this afternoon Have a great rest of the day. Thanks so much Thank you. Thank you