Symposium: Urban Parks and the National Park Service of the Future

Co-sponsored by the National Park Service/Northeast Region and PennDesign’s Graduate Program in Historic Preservation

Organized by Randall Mason (Associate Professor and Chair, Graduate Program in Historic Preservation) and Shaun Eyring (Chief of Cultural Resources, Northeast Region, National Park Service)

Keynote session Thursday, October 29, 6:00 pm.
Symposium: Friday, October 30, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.
 

Register for free here.

As the National Park Service approaches its 100^th anniversary, new kinds of national parks are taking shape. Urban parks embody the new frontier for public-space design, community engagement, resource conservation and, increasingly, the mission of the Park Service. This symposium takes stock of NPS’ renewed mandate—the Urban Agenda—through a set of panel discussions exploring fresh challenges and models of urban national parks.  How do urban parks and the national park system connect? How should they connect in the future?

Thursday, October 29^th

Keynote Panel Conversation, 6:00-8:00pm

The keynote panel opens the dialogue about urban parks as a priority of the National Park Service and as significant loci of innovation in the design, planning and preservation fields. How will issues particular to urban parks shape the National Park Services’ agenda in the coming century, and how will NPS involvement across more urban environments elevate broader conceptions of urban parks? Speakers include NPS leaders Stephanie Toothman (Associate Director, Cultural Resources, NPS) and Michael Creasey (Superintendent, Boston National parks), Nancy Goldenberg (Vice President of Planning, Development & Research at Philadelphia’s Center City District as well as board member of the nationwide City Parks Alliance). Randall Mason and Shaun Eyring will moderate.

Friday, October 30^th

Registration and coffee- 8:00 am
Introductory Remarks- 8:45 am
Shaun Eyring

Panel 1: Parks as Platforms for Engagement (9:00-10:30)

Urban parks work best when their users, stakeholders and audiences are fully and meaningfully engaged.  This panel seeks strategies for elevating park design and park function through public engagement. Speakers come from a variety of public, private, and non-profit organizations, and include Amy Freitag (Executive Director, J.M. Kaplan Fund), Cathie Barner (Vice President, Park Projects and Stewardship, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy), Mark Focht (First Deputy Commissioner of Parks, Philadelphia), Mariana Mogilevich (Princeton-Mellon Initiative in Architecture, Urbanism, and the Humanities Fellow, Princeton University), Valeria Mogilevich (independent consultant), and Kathryn Ott Lovell (Director, Fairmount Park Conservancy).

Panel 2: Parks and Networks (10:45-11:45)

Parks are no longer seen as places with defined boundaries and set activities, but rather as seamless networks that range from town squares, to street corners, open spaces, waterfronts, sidewalks, memorials, and all manner of “pop-ups.” This panel contextualizes the design and management of parks in larger professional contexts. Speakers include Ellen Neises (Adjunct Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning, PennDesign), Gay Vietzke (Superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, NPS), and Nette Compton (Senior Director of ParkCentral & City Park Development, The Trust for Public Land).

Panel 3: PennDesign/NPS Internships (11:45-12:30)

PennDesign students discuss their ongoing work with several new NPS initiatives related to management, design, and public engagement in urban parks.  Speakers include Angelina Jones (LARP/HSPV ‘16), Madeleine Helmer (HSPV/CPLN ‘17), Jess Neubelt (HSPV/CPLN ‘17), and Molly Lester (HSPV ‘12).

Panel 4: New Directions for the NPS (2:00-3:30)

The National Park Service has been a pioneer in urban park-making, and continues to pursue innovative ideas and partners. This panel considers new opportunities for the Park Service to learn from and collaborate with other fields and partner institutions. Speakers include Laura Koloski (Pew Center for Arts & Heritage), Manuel Miranda (Designer and Owner, Manuel Miranda Practice), Monica Rhodes (Associate Director, HOPE Crew, National Trust for Historic Preservation), and Jerome Chou (Director of Competitions, Van Alen Institute).

Panel 5: New Park Voices for the Second Century (3:45-5:00)

This final roundtable explores some of the new ideas and new voices reflected in the NPS’ increasingly urban mandate. Where and how are new ideas and new voices being heard?  How will these shape the NPS’ second century?  Participants include Sophie Sarkar (Community Planner, NPS), Cris Constantine (Education Program Manager, Northeast Region, NPS), Missy Morrison (Urban Fellow, NPS), Abigail Smith Hanby (Founder & Director, Forge), Andrew Dawson (Geographer & Collaborator, Forge; Designer, WRT), and Seth Bruggeman (Associate Professor, Department of History, Temple University).