Transforming Parks: A Case Study Approach for Connecting Communities to Nature

Peer-to-Peer

The Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee invites organizations in other cities to learn from its experience as an environmental education community center with a mission of connecting people in cities to nature and each other. What grew out of a friends-of-the-park group in the late 1990s now operates three branches in different neighborhoods, serving diverse urban populations. Replicating the model requires a focus on hyper-local conditions and a strong commitment from the surrounding community. This Peer-to-Peer conversation takes a case-study approach in sharing its experiment with other leaders who want to transform their cities and parks with an ecosystem of programs that reach kids, families, and adults on a daily basis, and finding partner organizations, including local businesses and non-profits, who are seeking engagement and require distinctive leadership to coordinate their shared goals.

Speakers

Chris Young

Professor, Project Manager, Urban Ecology Center