For the past two years, 15 park organizations—led by the High Line Network—partnered with researchers from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Urban Institute to explore the potential of public space to bring benefits to our cities and towns. They did so with a commitment to equity in their work, delving into history, experimenting with ways to share power, and building systems to center community in their values and actions. This work resulted in the Community First Toolkit, a process and tools codifying a path to embed equity in public spaces for park practitioners.

When President Joe Biden signed a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law six months ago, it was hailed as a historic investment in America’s physical needs and an opportunity for transformative impact on challenges like climate change and racial wealth equity. But whether the money is allocated to the most deserving and important projects that move our nation forward will depend in no small part on whether cities and towns of all sizes, from all regions, submit strong applications for the aid. And that is easier said than done.

THROUGHOUT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, temporary memorials have paid tribute to those lives claimed by the virus. They serve as quiet places to mourn loved ones and a chance to comprehend the enormity of the pandemic — more than 6 million dead worldwide.

You don’t have to travel to the middle of nowhere to enjoy a slice of nature — big cities have green spaces too! The Trust for Public Land just released its 2022 ParkScore report, an index of the parkiest metropolitan centers in America.