The Role of Urban Forestry in Parks, Green Infrastructure, and Equity
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Henaghan, O'Hara
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The Role of Urban Forestry in Parks, Green Infrastructure, and Equity
- 1. The Role of Urban Forestry in Parks, Green Infrastructure, and Equity The Great Urban Parks Campaign Green Infrastructure in parks to benefit underserved neighborhoods
- 2. What We Will Cover • Introduction (Kevin O’Hara) • Great Urban Parks Campaign • Research on green infrastructure and equity (Jennifer Henaghan) • Green infrastructure definitions • Parks, green infrastructure, and equity: background research • Parks, green infrastructure, and equity: leading the way (Lori Robertson) • Pilot projects
- 3. Great Urban Parks Campaign • Partnership • Current initiative • Grant awards
- 4. City and Regional Open Space An interconnected network of natural areas and other open spaces that conserves natural ecosystem values and functions, sustains clean area and water, and provides a wide array of benefits to people and wildlife. Green Stormwater Infrastructure Systems and practices that use or mimic natural processes to infiltrate, evapotranspirate, or reuse stormwater on the site where it is generated. Green Infrastructure Definitions
- 5. Green Infrastructure at Scale Regional City Neighborhood Site
- 6. The Triple Bottom Line • Environmental • Economic • Social Equity Green Infrastructure Co-Benefits
- 7. Parks, Green Infrastructure and Equity: Background Research • Parks are a primary component of green infrastructure networks • Green infrastructure co-benefits • Green infrastructure can provide “exceptional benefits for the urban poor” beyond stormwater management • Poor and underserved neighborhoods have less access to green infrastructure (e.g., parks, tree canopy) than more affluent communities
- 8. Case Studies
- 9. Background Research: Initial Findings • Extensive community engagement processes • Nonprofit organizations typically were the bridges between the community and the public agencies responsible for designing, constructing, and maintaining the projects. • Education features prominently in many of the case studies at a range of scales, from dedicated outdoor classrooms to informational signage explaining the purpose and benefits of green infrastructure components. • Funding typically combines a variety of sources: local tax dollars, grants from federal, state, and nonprofit agencies, and donations from private businesses, community organizations, and residents.
- 10. Questions for Further Research and Development • How can a formal emphasis on green infrastructure and equity be incorporated in the park planning and community planning process? • What public-private partnership financing models lend themselves to these types of projects? • Are there examples of policies to ensure equity in the siting of green infrastructure in parks? • How can the private sector be brought into these projects? • What barriers (regulations, technical knowledge, maintenance considerations, etc.) can impede green infrastructure implementation? • How can potential gentrification from investment in parks be addressed?
- 11. Jennifer Henaghan, AICP jhenaghan@planning.org Link to Background Research: https://www.planning.org/nationalcenters/green/urbanparks https://www.planning.org/nationalcenters/green/urbanparks
- 12. Current Projects www.nrpa.org • Parks and People Foundation – Baltimore, MD • Pittsburgh Park Conservancy – Pittsburgh, PA • Environmental Learning for Kids – Denver, CO • Park Pride – Atlanta, GA
- 13. www.nrpa.org Urban Forestry and Green Infrastructure
Editor's Notes
- NRPA-APA partnership to advance the role of parks in shaping successful cities March 2014 Roundtable brought together parks and planning directors from nine major cities to discuss: The role of parks in economic development and revitalization The role of parks in planning for healthy communities Using green infrastructure solutions in parks for stormwater management and public benefit Current initiative supported by JPB Foundation: improve environmental and social outcomes in underserved communities through green infrastructure in local parks. Develop resources for park professionals and planners on advancing social equity and providing benefits through green infrastructure in parks Implement pilot projects to highlight how green infrastructure can be leveraged to achieve multiple benefits in underserved communities $1.75 million in funding awarded to four communities – Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, and Pittsburgh – selected through an RFP process
- There are two commonly used definitions of green infrastructure. The first definition from the conservation profession refers to a network of open space – parks, greenways, natural areas, etc. – at the scale of a city or metropolitan region. The second definition, more commonly used in urban areas, refers to stormwater management practices that use vegetation, soil, and permeable surfaces to absorb runoff close to where it is generated. The City and Regional Open Space definition is from Mark A. Benedict and Edward T. McMahon, Green Infrastructure: Linking Landscapes and Communities, Island Press, 2006. The image is the Trinity River corridor in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan region in Texas. The Green Stormwater Infrastructure definition is from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The image is a natural street drainage project in Seattle, WA, referred to as a SEA (Street Edge Alternative) street.
- In reality there is no sharp differentiation between the two definitions of green infrastructure, which form a continuum across geographic scales from the region to the city, district, neighborhood, and site. Regional Scale Working farms and forests Regional parks and nature preserves River corridors and greenways City Scale Urban forest / tree canopy Urban parks Parkways and boulevards Neighborhood Scale Local parks Constructed wetlands Green streets Site / Building Scale Stormwater planters Rain gardens Green roofs On the left are examples of green infrastructure at the regional and city scale. The images are: farmland in Lancaster County, PA (top); Penn Park in Philadelphia, PA (middle); and Queens Boulevard, New York City (bottom). On the right are examples of green infrastructure at the neighborhood and site/building scale. The images are a constructed wetland in a Philadelphia park (top); a green street in Philadelphia (middle); and a green roof in Lancaster, PA (bottom).
- A common thread across these scales is that green infrastructure provides multiple benefits for ecosystems and people, which can be organized according to the triple bottom line of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social equity. The social benefits for people are particularly evident in the realm of public health, where stark disparities in health outcomes (can be 20 years or more in life expectancy between affluent or impoverished neighborhoods in the same region) underscore the issue of equity. The images are a bioretention basin in Philadelphia, PA, which illustrates green infrastructure’s environmental benefits – absorbs and treats stormwater, provides habitat (top); a stormwater planter under construction on a street in Philadelphia, illustrating its economic benefits – green business, jobs (middle); and a walking/biking trail in a Prince George’s County, MD park, illustrating its public health benefits – outdoor recreation, contact with nature (bottom).
- Parks are a primary component of green infrastructure networks Logical sites for green stormwater solutions Green infrastructure has numerous environmental, economic, and social co-benefits: Positive health outcomes Improved air and water quality Increased property values and retail sales Reduced energy, healthcare, and gray infrastructure costs Places to socialize and build community Co-benefits are of particular importance to underserved communities, but: Distressed neighborhoods are less likely to have green infrastructure investments than high-income areas Green infrastructure can provide “exceptional benefits for the urban poor” beyond stormwater management: Improved air and water quality Improved public health Enhanced aesthetics and safety Green job opportunities Increased food security Source: Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, 2010 However, studies have shown that poor and underserved neighborhoods have less access to green infrastructure (e.g., parks, tree canopy) than more affluent communities Example: Oakland, CA (Christopher Horn, 2016)
- Case studies were identified from a variety of sources, including the American Society of Landscape Architects’ online index of stormwater case studies and the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Service Center for Environmental Publications. 36 total case studies: 11 featured environmental justice and equity as goals or reasons for their respective projects. 12 detailed case studies: 6 had an equity focus Lynwood, CA Charlottesville, VA Providence, RI Philadelphia, PA Los Angeles, CA (2)
- We recently announced the four grantees who will implement large scale green infrastructure in parks projects over the course of the next year. Out of received 223 applications - 90% proposed employing local residents; 35% proposed creating new parks, and 65% proposed improvements to existing parks. Virtually all projects included some form of stormwater mitigation and XX% of projects incorporate existing urban forests or the planting of new trees as part of their plan. All of these projects all include: multi-functional design elements – meaning the park is meeting the needs of many of groups of people simultaneously, intentional community engagement – working with community members from start to finish and giving them a voice in the process and the collaboration of many local on the ground partners