Our Process
At no cost to our cities, New City Parks:
Partners with mayors and local agencies who make a commitment to prioritizing parks projects in low-income communities
Selects pilot sites based on research, analysis, and community interest. Our goal is to rid cities of ‘park deserts’
Engages community members directly so we understand their needs and their vision
Provides pre-development, engineering, and design services to prepare parks for transformation
Secures public dollars for construction, leveraging private grants
Creates durable programming and stewardship initiatives with local stakeholders
Leaves behind better city systems and relations with the communities so that cities can successfully revitalize many more parks
Image courtesy of Jennifer Brown.
“New City Parks has been an amazing resource for the City of Poughkeepsie. Over the last year, in the worst of times with the pandemic, their expertise and singular focus have catalyzed action and financing to make these parks a reality.”
What helps us succeed
Focus
Small city governments are overstretched. Our singular focus and dedicated staff allow us to drive forward projects that otherwise would never make it off the ground.
Expertise
Our senior staff has broad experience and expertise in land and park issues, including public finance and community-led design. We can immediately recognize obstacles, find solutions, and seize opportunities.
Partnership
We only go where we have solid partners, and we listen. We work with communities to bring their visions into being and build bridges to city government. We enhance the cities’ financial capacity while working within their limitations.
Leverage
Thanks to our fundraising expertise, we are on our way to raising $34 million in private and public capital funding in our first five cities. This is capital that the cities never dreamed they could raise or didn’t realize was available to fund park construction projects.