Session Title: (418) Y’all Means All – Results in Inclusive Park Planning

Session Type: Education Session Talk
Topic(s): Equity and Inclusion, Planning and Design
Data and Evaluation

Day/Time: Thursday - Block 6
10/12/2023 09:00 AM (Central Time (US & Canada)) - 10/12/2023 10:00 AM (Central Time (US & Canada))

Room: Room C145

Audience Experience Level: Any level
Audience Familiarity with DEI: Any Level
CEU: 0.1

Description:
Y’all means all - an inclusive statement, but at times, easier said than realized. As the pounding at the door for equity and inclusion continues to grow, it is not without pushback from traditional power structures that influenced park planning decisions for decades. To be successful with inclusive planning, new advocates and decision makers must lean on allies, data, planning and engagement to help address past disparities and prevent future inequities. This is part two of the 2022 NRPA panel discussion. The panel discusses inclusive planning through the lens of the City of Austin Zilker Metropolitan Park Vision Plan, a plan to update the 106-year emerald jewel in Austin's park system. The panelists will briefly recap the challenges and unique strategies shared in 2022 while creating the Vision Plan, the strategies used to complete the plan, and the lessons learned in developing a plan that will protect park access and recreation opportunities for all of Austin.

Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will learn to identify potential direct and indirect challenges to planning spaces that are equitable, accessible and inclusive.
2. Participants will learn new ways to use data, messaging and outreach strategies to protect equity, access and inclusion in parklands.
3. Participants will learn about the impact past park planning and influential stakeholders can have on equity, access, inclusion and environmental impacts in the park system.

Speaker(s):

Claire Hempel
Gregory Montes
Justin Schneider
Rich DePalma