Equitable Funding Strategies for Urban Parks

Due to limited public funding for parks and green infrastructure in low-income communities, there is a major lack of access to quality parks and recreational activities, according to a press release by an independent and nationwide organization dedicated to urban parks, City Parks Alliance. The organization has dispersed Investing in Equitable Urban Park Systems: Emerging Strategies and Tools to help cities "address park-equity and promote innovative strategies for funding parks and green infrastructure." The research was led by Urban Institute and supported by the Robert Wood Foundation. Published in a report by the institute, the research explores funding models and considerations in cities throughout the U.S. It further investigates new sources of funding and strategies viewed from an equity lens to shape financial decisions.

Executive director for City Parks Alliance, Catherine Nagel, stated in the press release, "City parks are at the center of resilient and equitable cities...Growing urban populations and resilience to environmental challenges are some of the issues straining already tight municipal budgets. Our research shows some of the ways cities can leverage the equity, health, and environmental benefits of parks to identify new sources of funding, new cost-sharing partnerships, and new support for parks."

City Parks Alliance has also joined with Groundwork USA to determine the pre-conditions for pursuing funding strategies in park and green infrastructure and confirming equity gains for residents.

Visit https://tinyurl.com/y3op4haz to learn more about the funding examples and about City Parks Alliance. To download the full report, click HERE.