Park Access Network: Building Equity into US Urban Green Infrastructure and Parks Planning

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Green infrastructure, parks and natural areas have become an important sustainability and resilience strategy for US cities. As efforts to expand these critical infrastructure advance, how can we ensure that investments benefit all urban residents while addressing persistent environmental and social injustices?

Join our NRPA Park Access Network July 26, 2023, at 2 p.m. EDT for this free learning opportunity! This is your chance to connect with fellow park and recreation professionals, so come ready to chat, listen and learn!

Participants will gain an understanding of

Applied approaches for evaluating intersections between social inequality, vulnerability to environmental hazards and access to greenspace and GI in different contexts.

Projects at the Urban Systems Lab and CLEAR focusing on actionable science in partnership with community-based organizations, NGOs, academic researchers, and practitioners

Ideas for implementing equity strategies in their home communities based on a discussion of strategies utilized by the NRPA Parks Access Network

Dr. Zbigniew J. Grabowski

Associate Extension Educator in Water Quality

UConn Extension and the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment

Dr. Zbigniew J. Grabowski (Z or Zbig for short) is an Associate Extension Educator in Water Quality for UConn Extension and the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment. Z brings his expertise in green infrastructure, just transitions, and systems approaches to address intersecting social and environmental challenges related to water. He has previously worked at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, The Breakthrough Institute, The Urban Systems Lab at The New School, and the Technical University of Munich’s Research Training Group on Urban Green Infrastructure. He completed his BS and MS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Conservation Biology and Biodiversity at UConn, and received a PhD in Environmental Science and Resources through Portland State University’s NSF-IGERT focused on Ecosystem Services for Urbanizing Regions.

You can see his full list of publications at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Zbigniew-Grabowski

Christopher Kennedy

Associate director at the Urban Systems Lab

The New School and lecturer in the Parsons School of Design

Christopher Kennedy is the associate director at the Urban Systems Lab at The New School and lecturer in the Parsons School of Design. As an artist and scholar, Kennedy’s research explores the social-ecological benefits of urban plant communities, multispecies thinking, and community-based approaches to environmental stewardship and environmental art. Kennedy holds a BS in environmental engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an MA in Environmental Education from NYU, and a PhD in Cultural Studies from the University of North Carolina.

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