Nature of Cities Regional Greenspace Workshop

Summary

The goal of this project was to promote policy and program changes and increase local partnerships to better protect and restore natural urban green space. Project organizers undertook a series of professional workshops in four cities in Alberta, including Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer. The workshop series was part of a national outreach and education initiative. The workshops sought to provide professional planners, elected officials, park managers, and community leaders with a better understanding of the range of tools for protecting and caring for green spaces in urban areas. The project intended to raise awareness of the benefits of urban nature by generating dialogue and information-sharing between groups and individuals involved in urban green space issues. Workshops welcomed participants from each city, including representatives from The City of Calgary Parks Development and Operations, surrounding municipal districts including Cochrane, Foothills and Rockyview, the City of Lethbridge, Stantec Consulting, Alberta Environment, and many others.

Grant Outputs

Community Greening Resources – http://www.evergreen.ca/en/resources/communities/

This website includes a series of links to the materials prepared and used in the Nature of Cities Regional Workshop Series. The materials include information on how to get communities involved in greening public spaces, links to the latest research on the benefits of urban green spaces, and information about how other groups have undertaken successful greening projects. The materials are easily accessible and designed for individuals, municipalities, community groups, institutions and corporations.