The Park People Conference Day 3
Sep 23: Abundant Landscapes
Rejuvenating Morning Nature Connection
To help balance the screen time associated with a virtual conference, join forest therapy guide and storyteller, Carolynne Crawley for a live guided audio experience to connect with All Our Relations through the practice of forest therapy. Join from your front or backyards, balcony, local park, or even from a window to tune into both to your surroundings and Carolynne’s invitations to explore and connect with all of Creation. This is an opportunity to de-stress and slow down while experiencing the importance of being in a loving and reciprocal relationship with Mother Earth.
Embracing Water: Natural Climate Infrastructure for Cities
Award-winning Beijing landscape architect Kongjian Yu restores the natural ebb and flow of water to cities. With his landscape architecture firm Turenscape, Kongjiun has created beautiful, flexible spaces that embrace rather than control water. Join this inspiring keynote to understand how designing parks for water results in magnificent and future-proofed cities.
Cultivating Abundance with Nature
Join four conservation experts who are at the forefront of integrating nature into urban environments. From community-based stewardship and restoration to creating urban meadows and daylighting streams, you’ll gain an understanding of how to cultivate natural environments that support biodiversity and nature connectedness in cities.
Caring for the Land and Each Other: Elevating Stewardship
Six Quebec-based park experts share ideas and practices for engaging communities in land-based stewardship. Discuss with us how to foster meaningful connections to nature.
Hitting the Mark in Parks: Measuring Park Impact
How do we know if our parks are successful in increasing biodiversity, enhancing inclusion and cultivating human well-being? Explore innovative mapping and measurement techniques that are helping advance discussions, decision-making and funding for equitable and vibrant urban parks.
A Field Guide to Fruitful Urban Agriculture Projects
Growing food in cities supports food security while promoting reconciliation, local economic development, community building, and more. And yet, communities experience multiple barriers to growing food in parks. Join this national conversation to learn tools of the trade to create and sustain urban agriculture projects in public spaces.
Advice from Funders: Securing Support for your Park Project
Get advice directly from Canada’s leading green space funders! Learn how to best present your work and increase your chances of securing and renewing funding for your next park project.
Addressing Climate Justice Together in Parks
Join Chúk Odenigbo, founding director of Future Ancestors Services in embracing the importance of social justice in our ecological actions, particularly in urban parks and public spaces. As we work to improve the well-being of nature and our planet, we must push beyond traditional acts conservation and challenge deep-rooted societal systems of oppression and their impact on our relationship with the environment and each other.
Conference closing with Carolynne Crawley
“Ask-me-anything” Networking Session
Meet fellow municipal staffers, NGOs or community leaders from across the country, and get your most pressing city park questions answered by park leaders with a wealth of experience in the parks sector.