Collaboration is the key to success in most things. That goes for urban planning just as much as anything else. Parks and greenery are vital to our planet. But developing cities struggle to balance green space with new construction. The struggle between overdeveloping and preserving open space is legit. How much development is too much? How can a city grow while also still caring for the planet? Can parks actually be city-building tools?
These are some of the exact questions the Greater & Greener conference focuses on each time they meet. This year that happened to be right here in Philadelphia. We had the honor of collaborating with City Parks Alliance, Poplar Events, and Witty Gritty to photograph this year’s Greater & Greener.
Every two years the Greater & Greener folks convene in a big city like Philly to use it — and its public park system — to train and educate urban park professionals. This year’s four-day conference saw over 900 attendees descend upon our great city. We photographed hikes of the Wissahickon and a group segway ride through the city. Traditional speaking events and more out-of-the-box learning, like a bus tour of organic recycling operations that Philadelphia Parks & Recreation have in the works.
Collaboration with the Mayor
A portion of Greater & Greener is dedicated to what’s called The Mayor’s Forum. Mayor Jim Kenney was joined by Mitch Landrieu (Senior Advisor to the President for Infrastructure Coordination at The White House) and mayors from three other major cities to discuss ‘successes and challenges in implementing policies that drive more equitable community development through greater investment in parks, playgrounds, trails, and the public realm’, according to their website. U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland was even on-hand to give a keynote speech about the roles of parks, trails, and public spaces in creating more equitable cities.
All-in-all this was a really fun, really informative collaboration for us. We had multiple photographers covering the Greater & Greener conference, crisscrossing the city to document all the great work going on.
