For the People: Building Equity with Local Park Partners

Transcription

1 1 For the People: Building Equity with Local Park Partners Kristina Ortez, Taos Land Trust Lori Robertson, National Recreation and Park Association Amy Wilson Morris, PhD, Land and Water Connections Land Trust Alliance Rally October 13, 2018

2 Taos Land Trust conserves open, productive, and natural lands for the benefit of the community and culture of northern New Mexico. 2 Land and Water Connections focuses on building community resilience through increasing equitable access to nature. We lead community-based planning and action-oriented research.

3 The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is the leading nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of public parks. NRPA and its members improve communities through three guiding pillars working to create a world where everyone has access to the many benefits of parks and recreation. 3

4 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 4 Opening questions 1. What is your name? 2. Where are you from? 3. What park you feel especially connected to?

5 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 5 Learning Objectives 1. Define equity and park equity 2. Understand the roles of equity-driven community engagement and coalition-building in expanding access to parks 3. Use new tools to assess park equity and reduce barriers to participation in park and land conservation planning Photo credit: dabfoto creative

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9 9 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y What is equity?

10 Credit: Mary Black Foundation 10

11 Credit: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation #PromoteHealthEquity 11

12 12 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Equity Access to resources needed to thrive Exists at many levels: individual, group, organization, society Specifically considers systemic inequality to provide increased support to the most vulnerable Vulnerability = characteristics that decrease ability to anticipate, cope with, resist, and recover from hazards

13 13 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y What is diversity?

14 14 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Diversity Measure of similarities or differences Can refer to many kinds of group identities: racial, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, age, dis/ability, gender/sexuality, immigration status, language It s important to understand the ways your communities are diverse and how the group identities involved affect equity Be specific about the type of diversity

15 15 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Park equity

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17 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 17 Why park equity? Parks are not optional amenities. They promote: Community health: physical and mental Clean water and air Protection from climate change and disasters Community cohesion, traditions, identity Social capital: trust and civic engagement Economic opportunity Community resilience

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19 19 Over 200 mayors nationwide have joined since October

20 20 Our Campaign Vision and Goals Increase 10-Minute Walk access and quality nationwide Deliver the multiple benefits of parks and green spaces to more people across the country Work in-depth with select cities to set concrete goals for advancing on equitable park access and quality

21 21 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Learn about park access in your community at parkserve.org

22 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 22 ParkServe Helps identify underserved areas and equity gaps (age, race, income) Based on 10-minute walk standard Optimized locations for parks Over 14,000 cities and towns

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24 24 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Community engagement

25 25 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Talk to a partner: What engagement and equity challenges has your organization faced?

26 26 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Group discussion: Why is engaging your community a focus for your organization (or not)?

27 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 27 Why focus on engagement? Strategy Mission Funding

28 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 28 Equity-driven engagement Work where lack parks/conservation contributes to broader disparities Involve those who face barriers to participation Use process to address broader inequities (based on TPL approach) Photo credit: dabfoto creative

29 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 29 Principles of equity-driven engagement Transparency, accountability, empathy, and humility are critical Community members are experts on their own needs It is our responsibility to identify and reduce barriers to participation Acknowledge our own issues with cultural competency and implicit bias Share decision-making and leadership Process is critical and ongoing Need to have (and set) flexible and realistic expectations Coalition-building, collaboration, and partnerships are key Continually evaluate process and be willing to change course Engagement should help empower community members and build community resilience

30 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 30 Avoiding displacement and gentrification Need to understand the economic context especially socioeconomic inequity in housing Use community liaisons (and pay them) Need short- and long-term housing and economic development strategies Land banks and community land trusts supplement public housing agencies Tax relief and rehabilitation assistance for long-time residents Assistance for existing small businesses

31 Stretch break! 31

32 32 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Case studies

33 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 33 Park agency and land trust partnerships

34 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 34 Burlington, Vermont Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront Dept worked with Lake Champlain Land Trust to protect 160 acres in Rock Point Peninsula Worked with Vermont Land Trust on an emergency purchase of 12 acres for the city s newest park

35 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 35 Sonoma County, California Santa Rosa Southeast Greenway Toley Lake Regional Park Greenway: County, City, Sonoma Land Trust and other partners are working to transform a 2 mile corridor into a new linear city park Toley Lake: Land trust helped add 1,665 acres, which completed a 7,500-acre wildlife corridor

36 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 36 Los Angeles County, California Wishing Tree Park Washington Avenue Tot Lot The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation work with the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust on developing green space and gardens in underserved areas

37 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Benefits of land trust and park agency partnerships 37 Resources and funding Public support and coalitionbuilding Expertise and efficiency Advances in conservation work

38 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 38 This is Your Park: Equity-focused planning for the Rio Fernando Park

39 39 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Taos Land Trust s commitment to community conservation

40 40 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y The Place 33,000 in Taos County Pueblo, Hispano, Hispanic, Anglo 56% Hispanic/Latino 6% Native American Longtime residents and newcomers Nearly ¼ below poverty line Major health inequities Pueblo dates back 1,000 years Land grant history and acequias

41 41 The Romo Property

42 42 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y The site

43 43 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y The planning Built on previous planning 18 community meetings 24-member steering committee 650 people surveyed 26 people interviewed 10 experts/consultants

44 44 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y The people

45 45 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y The parties

46 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 46 The plan

47 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 47 Planning for an equity-first park system after a disaster Park-Smart Precinct One

48 48 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Hurricane Harvey Over 60 inches of rain At least 88 people killed 200,000 homes damaged $125 billion in damage overall Low-lying area with sprawling development and limited planning

49 49 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Precinct One 1.1 million people (4.5 million in Harris County) 375 square miles (more than 1/3 of Rhode Island) 39% Hispanic, 38% black 23% below poverty level 41% of homes owneroccupied

50 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Park-Smart Precinct One 50 Partnership of Precinct One, The Trust for Public Land, Houston Parks Board, and Asakura Robinson $500,000 grant from Houston Endowment and $49,000 from Precinct Started 1 month before Hurricane Harvey Photo credit: dabfoto creative

51 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Goal 51 Determine the most equitable and strategic ways to: Build community resilience by expanding access to all the benefits of close-to-home parks and trails Improve community health Build stronger social ties Meet environmental challenges Photo credit: dabfoto creative

52 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Objectives Foster deep, diverse community engagement that gives residents a strong voice in shaping the plan 2. Work with local experts to identify where high-quality close-to-home parks and trails are needed most 3. Empower Precinct One and local organizations to improve community resilience by improving access to the benefits of parks

53 Engagement and data-driven modeling 53

54 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Engagement 30+ steering committee; 50+ technical advisory team 1,097 responses to online survey Hundreds reached through 12 workshops 501 reached through phone poll Thousands reached through 24 speak-outs 50 interviews Community trails app Focus group for people with disabilities Youth-focused collaboration with SCA and Workshop Houston Student-led assessments of 21 high-need parks Arts-focused workshop Flooding storytelling event and story map 54

55 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Residents use parks a lot! (94% use monthly in online survey) 55 Photo credit: dabfoto creative

56 56 Stretch break! Not feeling safe is the biggest barrier to using parks.

57 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Fitness is the top reason for using parks and trails (followed by recreation and experiencing nature) 57 Photo credit: dabfoto creative

58 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Protecting land to prevent flooding is the highest spending priority (94% said most or very important) 58

59 59 Stretch break! Public art, cultural programming, and natural features can make parks more welcoming.

60 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Mapping and datadriven decision making Socioeconomic vulnerability Health inequity Urban heat islands/air quality Flooding/water quality Park access Trails and active transit access 60 Priority-setting Funding Democratizing data

61 61 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Wrap-up and toolkit for engagement

62 62 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y Group discussion: What engagement strategies have you used?

63 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 63 Before you begin Understand local demographics and focus on specific types of diversity - Who is underserved and underrepresented? - Who has felt excluded in the past? - Who will be opposed? Think through your principles and your priorities Take a look inside your own organization for equity and inclusion issues Don t underestimate time and cost Trust is difficult to build and easy to lose

64 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 64 Engagement toolkit, part 1 Keep meetings short and provide food (and childcare) Use a variety of approaches not just meetings - Interviews - Focus groups - Intercept surveys - Online/paper surveys (weight results) - Professional polling (demographically representative) - Speak-outs Photo credit: dabfoto creative

65 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 65 Engagement toolkit, part 2 Use creative locations for outreach (go to where people are) Translate materials, use translators/language justice advocates for outreach Pay community organizers and other local workers Arts and cultural engagement

66 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 66 Engagement toolkit, part 3 Involve young people in the process surveys, interviews, groundtruthing Provide fun activities for kids so caregivers can participate Engage through community-generated data Social media outreach and old-fashioned mailers and flyers + radio Celebrate and make events fun Photo credit: dabfoto creative

67 B u i l d i n g E q u i t y 67 Resources ParkServe.org Green infrastructure in parks guide 10-minute walk learning series Taos Community Conservation Plan web.tplgis.org/taos_ccp/

68 68 Kristina Ortez, Executive Director Taos Land Trust RioFernandoPark.org and TaosLandTrust.org Lori Robertson, Director of Conservation National Recreation and Park Association NRPA.org Amy Wilson Morris, PhD, Principal Land and Water Connections

69 Flipchart notes from groupdiscussion: W hyis engaging your communitya focus for your organization(or not)?