December 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 12

bolstering the core funding sources
that SF Parks Alliance has relied
on for more than 50 years to contribute
more than $100 million to
parks and open spaces in the city.
This evolution of the SF Parks
Alliance comes at an important
time. The City of San Francisco
is facing a major budget deficit in
the coming years due to a slow
downtown recovery and falling
tax revenues. Historically, budget
cuts in San Francisco have first affected
services seen as " luxuries, "
like parks, playgrounds and public
spaces. San Francisco's parks are
world class, but that is the result of
significant investments and advocacy
following a period of budget
cuts that hamstrung the city's park
system in the 1990s.
The truth is that San Francisco
parks and public spaces aren't
luxuries. As we were reminded
during the pandemic, parks and
public spaces are vital, they are
much-needed
resources,
beloved
amenities, and the foundation of a
healthy public realm. Great parks
improve the health of locals, support
public artists and performers,
increase neighborhood cohesion,
and support the important ecosystem
of plants, insects and animals
that make San Francisco the city it
is. They contribute to our physical,
mental, emotional, social, ecological
and economic well-being - to
the tune of more than a billion dollars
each year.
Our parks and public spaces are
simply too important to neglect,
and shrinking
park
and deferring maintenance would
have ongoing consequences
investments
for
years to come, and would only necessitate
even larger expenses in the
future. As any gardener knows, it is
always easier to maintain a garden
than try to revive it.
SF Parks Alliance made the decision
to launch these new organizations
after researching how peer
organizations - like the City Center
District in Philadelphia (center
cityphila.org) and The Sierra Club
(sierraclub.org) - are structured to
respond to their own complex set
of needs. What they found is that
a coalition of organizations coordinating
together is the best way to
address the challenges and opportunities
San Francisco faces.
While
the
organizations
independently
with
will
share common goals, each will
operate
own management and boards of
directors. Luke Spray will
serve
as managing director of SF Parks
Forward, and Steve Fredericks
will serve as managing director of
SF Parks Foundation. As is common
at organizations with similar
arrangements, there will be some
shared resources, such as office
equipment and meeting spaces.
SF Parks Alliance has contributed
to San Francisco's parks and
public spaces in the city for more
than 50 years under a number of
different organizational structures,
and this new structure is poised
to bolster San Francisco's green
spaces for decades to come. As the
needs and environment of the city
continue to change and become
more complex, SF Parks Alliance
will continue to adapt to effectively
advance its mission. SF Parks Alliance
is excited for this next chapter,
where it can continue to ensure San
Francisco's park system flourishes.
The above article
originally appeared
on the Open Space Radio blog
on September 21, 2023 (tinyurl.com/
ykc38h6t).
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its
SF Parks Alliance has contributed to San
Francisco's parks and public spaces in the city
for more than 50 years under a number of different
organizational structures, and this new
structure is poised to bolster San Francisco's
green spaces for decades to come.
Jake Ramirez is the Associate Director
for marketing for SF Parks Alliance
(jaker@sfparksalliance.org).
RECREATION
AQUATICS
SENIORS
Stephen Springs, AIA, LEED®
AP
ssprings@bsw-architects.com
P - (972) 960-9970
Headquarters - Dallas
5000 Quorum, Suite 600
Dallas, Texas 75254
Membership does not imply NRPA endorsement.
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December 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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