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CITY PARKS FORUM yEngagemento BRIEFING PAPERS C�ommunit KEY POINT #3: Parks channel positive community participation by getting diverse people to work together toward a shared vision. The benefits of participation in the development of urban Oakland,California:Union Point Park.More than 1,000 parks and open spaces include leading to a stronger sense of community residents as well as 50 community organizations community(PPS 2000) and an increased sense of user or and local nonprofits from across Oakland contributed to community control (Francis I 989).There are also many low developing a plan for this waterfront park.Part of the Fruitvale cost and effective methods of community participation avail- Recreation and Open Space Initiative (FROSI),the park is a able including workshops,surveys,interviews,and observation partnership among the Spanish Speaking Unity Council,the (Hester 1990). Trust for the Public Land,and the University Oakland Metropolitan Forum.Fruitvale,the most densely populated Yet participation does have risks and limits that need to be district in Oakland,has one of the highest concentrations of understood.Landscape architect Randy Hester suggests that children and the least amount of parks and open space.Union participation sometimes leads to what he calls"participatory Point Waterfront Park proposes to transform a previous gridlock"where nothing is agreed upon or the resulting plans industrial site into a public,recreational waterfront serving the runs counter to established environmental or social goals.He nearby Oakland neighborhoods and the surrounding region. suggests that to be effective,participation needs to be done The park plan includes three major design elements:a series with"a view"—a clear vision on the part of the city officials of mounds,a pedestrian waterfront promenade,and public art and designers of the desired future (Hester 1999).While this to educate visitors about the surrounding community and its vision can be modified and enlarged by participants during the history.(www.unitycouncil.org/html/frosi.html) design and planning process,the city officials and designers need to be proactive in their approach (Francis 1999). New Orleans:Kid's Cafe Pocket Park.Mayor Marc Morial wanted to create a model for converting blighted, fillr St.Louis,Missouri:Forest Park. Forest Park,dedicated vacant lots in New Orleans into neighborhood assets.Using a kr 1876,was host to the 1904 Worlds Fair and the 1927 CPF grant,Parkway Partners Inc.,a partnership program of homecoming celebration for Charles Lindbergh after his his- the community,set out to convert a vacant lot in the Central toric flight over the Atlantic.In need of updating and renova- City neighborhood into a children's garden.Donated by a tion,park planners with the significant involvement of a former longtime resident and business owner,the lot they chose is Mayor Freeman Bosley,Jr.,who had played in the park as a near the Kids Café,a nonprofit project that provides inner-city young child,developed a new Master Plan and vision for the children with free meals,nutrition education,and a safe envi- park in the 1990s.More than 300 people attended an early ronment.More than 50 volunteers joined together to build meeting in 1993 to discuss plans for the park.The design the garden.Through the collaboration of The Neighborhood process was"the mechanism for conflict resolution,public Gallery,the Contemporary Arts Center,and local artists,a education,empowerment of stakeholders and citizens,and the large mural was painted on the back wall of the garden and recognition by the public of what constitutes design excel- additional arts programs were developed.WDSU News lence"(Lewis 2000).(www.forestparkforever..org) Channel 6,another project partner,provided publicity for the program. A volunteer mentoring program,led by Parkway Partners' staff,teaches area youth about horticulture and life skills.Harvested produce is taken home by the children,taken to the Kids Café for preparation,or shared with senior citizens who visit the garden.(www.parkwaypartners.com) t 3of4 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION