Connecting Green 2007 event summary

Planning and conservation › Natural areas, parks and trails › The Intertwine › Connecting Green 2007 event summary

On June 28, speakers from various disciplines and different parts of the country were invited to talk about their experiences and present innovative ideas for developing a connected parks system.

Photograph of Council President David Bragdon and Mayor Richard M. Daley

On June 28, Connecting Green 2007 served as a call to action for the region’s business, foundation and nonprofit leaders, parks directors, federal and state political partners, citizens and elected officials to join in making a regionwide network of parks, trails and natural areas a reality.

Leaders in the region know that investing in a green network is an investment in the future because it will provide economic, health and community benefits. Connecting Green 2007 was an opportunity to focus on these benefits and create a buzz around making it happen.

The speakers at Connecting Green 2007 made it clear that the metro region has work to do to implement the comprehensive vision of a connected network of parks, trails and natural areas that has been created. Implementing the vision will increase the region’s competitive advantage and help to maintain the region’s livability, economic prosperity and environmental diversity. Now we need to strategically pursue the significant steps that are needed to achieve the vision. To do this we need to cement the partnerships and agree on what our business leaders, park providers, corporate, foundation and nonprofit leaders, federal and state political partners, citizens, and elected officials will do to achieve this vision.

Each of the speakers that participated in Connecting Green 2007 brought a unique perspective about the tools necessary to implement a regionwide parks network.
Download selected video clips from the event below

Council President David Bragdon, Metro

Metro Council President David Bragdon opened the day with a challenge. He described the remarkable natural assets that our region has and suggested that our human efforts don’t do justice to what we have inherited. He listed the various agencies and organizations which are doing good works, but suggested that they should work together better in support of a unified vision. He used the word “network” as something which is owned and operated by multiple independent parties while still interdependent and cohesive. The analogy he used were alliances created by multiple airlines who retain their individual ways of doing business while simultaneously acting in concert. He urged the participants to be focused on the customer and leverage the mutual benefits possible if all our jurisdictions and nonprofits work together on common agendas.

David Fisher, Great Rivers Greenway District

David Fisher (previously with Three Rivers District in Minneapolis, currently with the Great Rivers Greenway District in Missouri) discussed how he has helped shape St. Louis’ greenspaces system by developing a deep connection to nature with citizens and demonstrating the social, economic and environmental benefits of investing in a greenway system. He attributes the success of the St. Louis system to “developing partnerships and opportunities for collaboration, leveraging funding for maximum impact and making regional connections through the natural system.” His efforts started by developing a long-term vision of building a river ring of trails. By connecting the brand of a river ring of trails with core community values and environmental stewardship, a tax proposal was developed for funding, acquiring and implementing this plan. Ultimately, voters in five counties (three in Missouri and two in Illinois) approved the tax proposal supporting the system. Still only three years old, the area has made great progress in creating connections across county and state lines.

David Thorpe, Ziba Design

David Thorpe from Ziba Design discussed studying how the corporate world develops and markets products. He believes the basic concept of making connections between consumer values and product experience is a useful one for a natural network. Thorpe states that the key to developing a successful brand is to “know yourself, know your customer, make an emotional connection and design the experience around these core values.” Although his examples are ones that sell products such as shoes and electronic devices, the same principles apply to how the National Park Service markets and delivers its services to the public. His concepts of marketing and branding can help the region bridge the gap between jurisdictions and deliver a network of connected natural areas to the public.

Mike Houck, Urban Greenspaces Institute

Mike Houck from the Urban Greenspaces Institute provided inspiration for the event and a demonstration of the value of the natural landscape to our region. Houck has been involved in this issue for the past 30 years as the region has struggled to identify the key areas that are important to nature, planning for trail connections, mapping the landscape and shaping the built environment. Houck presented the genesis of many signature projects that the region has undertaken to develop a regional network of trails, identify a regional network of parks and manage growth. Reviewing the principles of the Greenspaces Policy Advisory Committee vision, Houck demonstrated the work the region has already undertaken to build a connected system that recognizes the fantastic assets of the region and the plans laid to fully implement this system.

Tim Boyle, Columbia Sportswear

Tim Boyle, President and CEO of Columbia Sportswear, discussed the corporate connection to investing in and supporting the vision of the greenest region in the world. Boyle and his company are involved deeply in supporting green infrastructure because it is good for business and good for the community. As one example, Columbia Sportswear contributed more than a million dollars to the Portland Parks Foundation for operations and maintenance of Sellwood Park, an older and much loved community park that needed some updating to regain its former glory.

Mayor Richard M. Daley, City of Chicago

Mayor Richard M. Daley from the City of Chicago was the Connecting Green 2007 keynote speaker and he shared his vision and examples of what he has been able to accomplish by “greening” the City of Chicago. Chicago is a national success story in terms of developing green infrastructure, redeveloping portions of the city with designs that incorporate nature and sustainable building methods. The City has developed partnerships with businesses through the Chicago Wilderness organization and by linking the economic benefits of parks.

Mayor Daley credits the secret of Chicago’s success to a willingness for business and government to work together on individual projects and to raising the bar to develop bold plans. At Millennium Park, a $475 million project, Chicago’s business and philanthropic community donated $205 million for project elements such as a Frank Gehry amphitheatre, a sculpture, and gardens. The foundation for completing this work is the development of a partnership model. Mayor Daley stated, “citizens don’t care which jurisdiction is responsible for solving a major regional problem – they just want it solved.” He also urged, “it is not enough for governments to simply work with each other, you also have to work together with not-for-profits, business, interest groups and community leaders.” Chicago is poised to realize the economic benefits of incorporating sustainable concepts into existing and future infrastructure. The green fabric that has been created will become an integral part of Chicago’s future strategy for reintroducing nature to the city.

Karen MacDonald, Trust for Public Land

Karen MacDonald from the Trust for Public Land discussed a model for developing a funding strategy for building the network that comes from articulating a big vision. Thinking big creates enormous opportunities to leverage each layer of investment from private (business, nonprofits, foundations, individual land owners), and public (local, state and federal) sources. Her marketing and nonprofit experience provided a unique perspective on describing a landscape that is not just about planning in the abstract but evokes a deep personal connection. She states that “people are stirred by what they can see.” Our job, she asserts, is to give them a vision big enough that anyone can find their connection to it.

Rutherford Platt, The Ecological Cities Project, Amherst, MA

Rutherford Platt, Director of the Ecological Cities Project in Amherst, provided a national context for the movement taking place in many cities to connect greenways, trails and natural areas and encourage sustainable development to mitigate the effects of increasing population, worsening traffic congestion and the loss of a sense of place.

Connecting Green 2007 Sponsors

Connecting Green 2007 would not have been possible without the work completed by the Greenspaces Policy Advisory Committee over the past three years. The committee was instrumental in developing the overall vision for the network, researching funding strategies, exploring ways to market the system to the public and recognizing the importance of developing a stable base of operational funding to enable Metro and its partners to be good stewards of the public’s investments in the system.

Connecting Green 2007 was sponsored by: Metro, Portland Center Stage, Russell Development Company, Metolian, ODS Companies, Trust for Public Land and Urban Greenspaces Institute.

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