box—but a space with local flavor, a park they can be proud of. I find stories like this especially
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powerful. We work with communi- ties that don’t have access to as many resources as some of their neighbors, communities with a history of disin- vestment—and together we create the kind of world-class spaces that can transform an entire neighborhood.
I wasn’t looking to leave the parks
department, but then I learned that Adrian Benepe [former New York City parks commissioner and current director of city park development for The Trust for Public Land] was hir- ing a team to focus on using parks to transform cities around the country. It was an opportunity too good to pass up. The Trust for Public Land’s mis- sion of connecting people to nature— particularly in urban areas—is unique and compelling to me.
Your position, associate director of city park development, is a new one. What does it entail? I’m tackling five different issues: public health and fitness, green infra- structure, climate change, creative placemaking, and general park design and administration. My first task is to identify and disseminate best prac- tices that we’ve developed through our Parks for People initiative. As part of that process, I’m visiting Trust for Public Land park projects nationwide, meeting with community members and our partners to learn more about what does and doesn’t work.
Is there a park you’ve visited on your travels that especially stands out to you? So many! I was just in Denver visiting Mestizo-Curtis Park. It’s actually the city’s oldest public park—created in 1868. But over the years, it has fallen into disrepair: the site gets mini- mal use today because people in the neighborhood perceive it as unsafe, and in truth, there are few amenities and very little to do. But a woman named Geraldo-
lyn Horton-Harris and her young granddaughter have been fighting to clean up the park. They started with grassroots efforts—painting benches, planting flowers—to encourage their neighbors to care about and reclaim Mestizo-Curtis. Partnering with The Trust for Public Land allowed them to pursue larger-scale improvements and a new design that will reflect the look and feel and interests of the neighborhood. Once we reach our fundraising
goal, the new park will have a Fitness Zone® area where residents can work out for free, as well as a community garden. It won’t be just an assembly- line playground straight out of a
What would you tell people who want to improve their neighborhood, but don’t know where to start? Nature exists in your neighborhood. It may be hard to find, but it’s there— a tiny backyard, or a tree on the sidewalk in front of your apartment— little pockets of green space that have an outsized impact on a community. If you’re willing to stand up for
these spaces, it can be tremendously rewarding. Start small, with local clean-up days. Or call your parks department to find a volunteer group in your area. Get involved at any level you can.
What do you think makes a great park? In professional circles, we talk a lot about “creative placemaking”—but in simpler terms, it’s about soul. The most-loved places have a strong identity created through a mix of art, community, and culture: they’re places with soul. Everyone can tell when a place is inviting, when a place feels safe, when it’s being used by a diverse array of people of all ages and backgrounds enjoying themselves in different ways. You don’t need techni- cal terms to know what makes a place great—as a user of public space, you can just sense it.
FIRST LOOK · 27
darcy kiefel
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