Why You Should Attend

A group of Greater and Greener attendees walking through a park

The Premier Event for Urban Park Professionals

Greater & Greener is the only conference dedicated to exploring the full potential of parks as city-building tools. It’s a conference for doers from government, nonprofits, and communities who are utilizing the power of parks to create more sustainable, vibrant, and equitable cities.

Greater & Greener 2024, held in Seattle, WA on June 21-25, 2024, is an exciting blend of indoor sessions and outdoor experiences that bring the power of parks to life. The highly curated agenda sets tables for honest, cross-sector dialogue with others doing hands-on work. Attendees will take home strategies and tools for using parks to build more sustainable, vibrant, and equitable cities.

With dozens of sessions and over 1,000 attendees including urban park leaders, planning and design professionals, public officials, nonprofits, community-based organizations, advocates, and funders, Greater & Greener 2024 is a value-packed learning opportunity.

Reason #1

Address the Serious Issues Facing Parks and Cities

Greater & Greener is the only conference solely dedicated to exploring the role of parks, recreation, and green space in building more sustainable, vibrant, and equitable cities. Conference tracks will explore parks and a changing climate, equitable and sustainable park funding, inclusive parks and public spaces, and parks, recreation, health, and wellbeing.

Conference sessions will also prioritize the following five cross-cutting themes, as relevant to each track: resilience, data and technology, design solutions, community engagement, and how parks and recreation agencies and their partners have undergone structural changes in response to the pandemic and racial justice awakening that began in 2020.

Greater & Greener attendees will take home actionable strategies and tools for using parks to build more sustainable, vibrant, and equitable cities.

Reason #2

Hands-On Learning and Networking with Park Leaders from Around the World

Through a unique blend of weekend tours, mobile workshops, deep-dive sessions, the City Parks Research Lab, peer conversations, and general sessions, Greater & Greener explores the natural connections to your own cities. The conference provides valuable networking opportunities with park leaders from different sectors across the country and around the world.

The highly curated conference agenda is designed to foster solutions-focused dialogue among urban park leaders, planning and design professionals, public officials, nonprofits, community-based organizations, advocates, and funders. Speakers and moderators are carefully selected and sessions are specifically designed to demonstrate innovative partnerships involving public, private, advocacy, funding, and other sectors to provide multiple perspectives.

Reason #3

Invest in Your Career with Continuing Education Credits

Greater & Greener 2024 is full of continuing education and professional development opportunities that help you maintain your licenses and certifications, and advance your career. Greater & Greener will announce available credits once sessions are certified, but the 2022 conference included credits for the Landscape Architect Continuing Education Systems (LA CES), Certification Maintenance credits for the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), and more.

For the 2024 conference, City Park Alliance will also offer verified general CEU credits for relevant programming that may be accepted by other accrediting organizations or employers on a case-by-case basis according to their individual policies. More details on continuing education credits will be made available as the conference agenda is developed.

Reason #4

Experience the Seattle Parks and Recreation System

At Greater & Greener 2024, you will experience the unique Seattle park and recreation system and the vibrant and diverse city in which it resides. Enjoy expert-led tours and workshops highlighting our conference tracks–parks and a changing climate, equitable and sustainable park funding, inclusive parks and public spaces, and parks, recreation, health and wellbeing. You’ll learn about local projects and initiatives and meet the innovators behind these creative approaches.