Rec It Philly Conference
February 24, 2023

What can the next mayor do to create a great park in every neighborhood?

The past two decades have seen the creation and revival of great parks, like Bartram's Garden and the Discovery Center, and historic capital investments through Rebuild.

However, funding for operations for Parks & Rec is absurdly low. We spend $50 per capita compared to $125 per capita in Baltimore or $176 per person in Atlanta.

Fifty community and parks leaders gathered to honor the hard won achievements of the 2000's and identify the key elements for creating a great park in every neighborhood.

Major Takeaways

Pride in Philadelphia Parks & Rec System

Fairmount Park has over a million trail users a year and is the home to acres and acres of urban forest. Rec centers are some of the most important assets in the city. Philadelphia has the bones of a great system. It needs priority funding as well as coordinated planning and implementation to make it run successfully.

A Strong Tool in the Toolbox for Addressing the City’s Priorities

Everyone wants safe spaces and a reduction in gun violence. There is a direct, causal relationship between open spaces/community gardens and reduction of crime in a community. There is a direct relationship between people’s mental health and wellness from both recovery and preventative perspectives.

Partnerships

Success stories all include collaborative public-private relationships. Community members are engaged in designing and enjoying activities. Volunteer groups are lending their sweat equity to care for the spaces and provide consistent programming. Nonprofits are lending their expertise around programming. The City is supporting the infrastructure and providing operating support.

Build Understanding and Trust

Knowledge of the system’s features, an appreciation for nature, and an understanding of the essential role of rec centers as community hubs will facilitate informed decision-making and reduce barriers to successful stewardship. Lack of indemnity and bureaucratic processes for maintenance agreements are unnecessary barriers to success. Community-based hiring practices will utilize the lived experiences and relationships of local leaders as well as engage young people in jobs.

Breaking into small groups, we discussed successful park movements and place-based projects.

We asked:

  • What was most important to success?

  • What went wrong?

  • What worked best to engage the community?

  • What worked best to build public support?

  • How did the project address equity?

  • What role did the mayor play?

  • What role did other elected officials play?

What do we want from the next mayor?

Participants ranked and commented on potential questions for mayoral candidates. Read the final questions with candidate responses.

We generated ideas for what the next mayor might do to for Parks & Rec sites.

Honoring the past.

What has worked to create great parks, rec centers and public spaces?

Sessions will explore the successes and challenges of parks like Bartram’s Garden, Discovery Center, Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership and Hunting Park.

What can we learn from successful campaigns for parks in Philadelphia? Sessions on the Rebuild vote, the Circuit, the Parks & Rec merger and the challenges in finding a dedicated source for funding Parks & Rec.

Planning for the future.

Building on what has worked, what do we want from the next mayor?

How do we build public support to fund it?

Sessions will help craft the Rec It Philly agenda for 2023.