Activating Parks & Open Spaces Through Programming The Philadelphia November Project exercising near the Philadelphia Museum of Art June 2015 P.O. Box 12677 Philadelphia, PA 19129 215-879-8159 www.philaparks.org Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................ 5 General Process ...................................................................................................................................................................... 6 National Park and Open Space Programming Introduction.................................................................................................... 7 Zombie Apocalypse Camp ................................................................................................................................................... 8 SoundSteps Walking Program ........................................................................................................................................... 10 Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Outdoor Opportunities (O2) ........................................................................................... 12 Seattle Parks Downtown and Neighborhood Activation Programs .................................................................................. 14 Downtown Seattle Activation Unit: .............................................................................................................................. 14 Seattle Neighborhoods Park Commons Program: ........................................................................................................ 16 Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks .................................................................................................................. 17 Friends of Patterson Park .................................................................................................................................................. 19 Pop-Up Park Program ....................................................................................................................................................... 21 Wilderness Inquiry Canoemobile ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Wilderness Inquiry Canoemobile visits Philadelphia .................................................................................................... 25 Neighborhood Naturalist Program ................................................................................................................................... 26 Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy ............................................................................................................ 28 Greenspaces Restoration and Urban Naturalist Team (GRUNT) ...................................................................................... 30 Sprockets: Saint Paul's Out-of-School Time Network ....................................................................................................... 32 Common Themes in National Park and Open Space Programming ..................................................................................... 34 Local Park and Open Space Programming Introduction ....................................................................................................... 36 Wooden Boat Factory ....................................................................................................................................................... 37 Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education ................................................................................................................ 39 Nature Preschool .......................................................................................................................................................... 39 Nature RX ...................................................................................................................................................................... 40 BuildaBridge Artolgy ......................................................................................................................................................... 42 Awbury Arboretum Public Programs and Teen Leadership Corps ................................................................................... 44 Philadelphia Orchard Project ............................................................................................................................................ 46 Fit4Mom ............................................................................................................................................................................ 48 The November Project ...................................................................................................................................................... 50 Let’s Go Outdoors ............................................................................................................................................................. 52 Urban Blazers .................................................................................................................................................................... 54 Common Themes in Philadelphia Park and Open Space Programming ............................................................................... 56 Marketing of Park and Open Space Programming ............................................................................................................... 57 Appendix of Other Programs and Resources ........................................................................................................................ 59 National ............................................................................................................................................................................. 59 Philadelphia-area .............................................................................................................................................................. 64 Introduction While Philadelphia has made tremendous strides in increasing the number and quality of its parks and public spaces, many still remain underutilized and have not yet met their full potential to be vibrant centers of community life. Philadelphia is fortunate to have a multitude and variety of exciting park and open space programs, but there remains a large segment of children and adults who live, work and visit Philadelphia who do not have access to high quality programming that meets their needs. The Philadelphia Parks Alliance, with the support of the William Penn Foundation, has had the unique opportunity to undertake a broad scan of programs in Philadelphia and other U.S. cities. It has been an inspiring and exciting process during which we have examined hundreds of programs that are activating parks, trails and public spaces that have been unused or under-utilized; are effectively engaging and or integrating low-wealth communities and communities of color; and those that have a unique structure or approach. We chose to profile 13 of the most dynamic and effective national programs along with 10 exemplary programs in Philadelphia, all of which have the potential to be expanded or emulated in communities in Philadelphia and other U.S. cities. The profiles in this report are sketches rather than thorough case studies and are meant to motivate more in- depth study. We have focused primarily on outdoor programs or those that can be replicated outdoors. For the purposes of our study and this report, the Parks Alliance considers “programs” to be ongoing and recurring activities, as opposed to one-time events. Our selection process was informed by a park user survey in which we asked stakeholders about their programming preferences, and general impressions of public space programming availability and gaps in Philadelphia. The Parks Alliance believes that each of the programs profiled in this report have much to teach about outdoor programming. Some of the most compelling local and national programs featured are not necessarily focused on park activation as an output; rather they address broader social and environmental goals that also result in short and long- term activation. In some cases, the program structure or concept imparts more than the actual program activities and these program elements might well be adaptable in a number of contexts. Several common lessons emerged from our research: Many organizations are activating public spaces by layering different programs, activities and amenities at the same time. Program operators are experimenting with low-cost programming including mobile, pop-up and pop-in programs that stretch limited resources. Park activation is successfully being employed as an intentional public safety strategy in cities around the U.S. Programming increasingly focuses on health and wellness, including physical fitness, mental health and local food access and education. Strong board and volunteer networks enable low-budget programs to maximize their impact. Programs that successfully engage low-income communities and communities of color prioritize investment of resources in relationship-building and increasing staff diversity; they are often free or low cost. Program evaluation is a persistent challenge for organizations with limited resources, but when successfully