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C'Mon White People, This is Getting Ridiculous.
"BBQ Becky" has earned her rightful place in the internet meme hall of shame, but the fundamentals of the story still infuriate me. Imagine a beautiful sunny day, you pack a cooler and your grill and head to the park, anticipating watching the world go by over a shared meal, only to have your day interrupted by a "concerned citizen" threatening police action because she claims grills aren't allowed in this section of "my park."
Listen white people, let me just reiterate, and I'll speak slowly because sometimes it's hard to hear: parks don't belong to you, don't belong to anyone, they belong to all of us. Our entitled actions are not only a buzzkill on a beautiful day, but they undermine the democratic ideals — that while flawed in practice — give us something to aspire to, undermine the beautiful notion, the civic ideal that our cities provide public places for all to feel welcome, for all to enjoy. We have a
legacy of segregation in our parks, public places, pools and more in this nation. From the formal to the informal, people of color have often been excluded or made to feel unwelcome in parks and public places.
It's sad to me that after much progress has been made, my fellow white folks don't yet know to leave well enough alone. So white people, next time you feel that burning need to get up in someone's business, especially in a park or public place, think again. Mind your history books, mind your business and be mindful that while we live in a country that espouses the notion that we provide parks for all people, in practice that welcoming experience is not universally felt. Instead of
calling the cops for a perceived slight, let's channel our energy into ensuring that all our neighbors feel welcome in OUR parks, and next time just smile, say hello, and move the f*&# along. (The community response, by the way, was lovely.)
On that note, I wish you all a happy Memorial Day weekend! Summer kicks off now. Let's be nice to each other.
Kevin O'Hara
Vice President of Urban and Government Affairs
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Featured
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A huge thank you to Doug Kupper, Melinda McMillian, and the enitre Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation team for hosting us last week in their fair city. We enjoyed the opportunity to learn how, in the face of a number of shocks, the people of Oklahoma City have rallied around the MAPS program (seriously, ask anyone — they all are on message) as a way to remake their city's image through quality of life investments. Stay tuned for a deeper dive in the July issue of Parks & Recreation magazine and, in the meantime, learn more about and register for our next Lab in Seattle in August. We'll continue the dialogue around public investments with a look at how Seattle and other cities from around the United States have successfully, and unsuccessfully, gone to the ballot box in search of more support for parks and rec.
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When it comes to redesigning how government functions,
most of the common assumptions about innovation are wrong.
Government is far behind when it comes to buying, building and using technology. In a society where citizens can receive basic services at the touch of a button using technology, interacting with the government to create change or even complete basic tasks can be tedious. This new series on government innovation explores redesigning how the government works and
who can spearhead this change.
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Stories That Matter
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Icons of Infrastructure
There's no question that trails, greenways and other parks infrastructure stimulate more construction and economic development.
The Parkscore 2018 Rankings Are In
Trust for Public Land
The 100 largest U.S. cities and their park systems are compared.
Next City
Minneapolis has the best park system in a major city in the United States for the third year running.
Route Fifty
The banking bill President Trump signed into law on Thursday promises to help reduce state and local borrowing costs, public finance officials and experts said.
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Sustainable City Network
A new poll found Americans believe clean air and clean water are the most important factors for their health and well being.
American City & County
Financial advice and technology company NerdWallet analyzed 177 U.S. cities with over 150,000 people to determine which U.S. cities offer the best quality of life.
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Meeting of the Minds
Some cities are taking advantage of a new financing model called the Environmental Impact Bond, used to finance green infrastructure projects.
CityLab
An impressive network of bicycle infrastructure has been built in the state with help from federal transportation grants and the Walton Family Foundation.
CitiesSpeak
In schoolyards across Chicago, the Space to Grow program is transforming Chicago schoolyards into vibrant spaces that support children, communities and the environment.
Next City
Cities across the nation are addressing loss of tree canopy through with innovative and multi-pronged approaches.
The Conversation
While honeybees are a vital part of our agricultural system, native bees are disappearing.
Route Fifty
The city plans to undertake eight projects worth $12.9 million making its Westside more resilient to flooding.
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Meeting of the Minds
How urban innovators and social entrepreneurs define and measure progress has profound implications for how those committed to improving their communities allocate resources.
Next City
Looking beyond the downtown boom, the city is determined to spark a lasting recovery.
CityLab
It pays to be near universities and farm from other big metro areas.
Los Angeles Times
Can young professionals and creative types with money ever move into an area without messing it up for the longtimers?
Next City
The Opportunity Zones program offers capital gains tax breaks to investors in exchange for investing in designated low-income census tracts.
Meeting of the Minds
There's an ever-increasing gap between current engagement strategies and large pockets of the community.
Route Fifty
Kalamazoo officials have not yet decided what to do with a 1940 monument or how to repurpose the park space.
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National Park Service
Challenge Cost Share Applications to support specific National Park Service mission related projects are due May 25.
National Park Service
Apply for community assistance in conservation and outdoor recreation by June 30.
Build Grants (Formerly TIGER)
National Highway Institute
These are 3 web-based training courses on grant management training for FHWA, FTA, State Departments of Transportation (State DOTs), Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and other agency staff that expend or administer Federal-aid funds, including courses
151057,
151058
and
151059.
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© 2018 National Recreation and Park Association, All Rights Reserved
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