Bringing Home The Vision: Cleveland Learns From Atlanta’s Park Pride Conference

Ronaldo Rodriguez Jr.
Jul 1
4 min read

Updated: Aug 15

What if our city parks weren’t just places to pass through, but spaces that anchor and reflect community? That’s the vision a group of Cleveland park and community leaders brought home this spring after attending the twenty-fourth annual Park Pride Conference in Atlanta.

Park stewards representing neighborhoods from Tremont to Slavic Village joined hundreds of park advocates, organizers, and planners from across the United States to explore how green space can be a vehicle for environmental justice, neighborhood revitalization, and community empowerment.

Like Atlanta, Cleveland grapples with inequitable access to quality parks, fragmented investment, and the urgent need to empower residents as the architects of their own green spaces.

Cleveland now stands at a turning point. After decades of population decline, the city’s population is beginning to stabilize and is finally seeing modest growth. We’ve also ushered in a new generation of leadership with our first millennial mayor, following the historic tenure of our longest-serving mayor.

The way Cleveland manages its green spaces is also changing. For the first time since 2010, there is a standalone Department of Parks and Recreation within City Hall.

Previously, the day-to-day operations of the city’s 172 parks were managed by the Department of Public Works. While maintenance was part of the job, the vision and potential of our parks often took a backseat.

The restoration of the Department of Parks and Recreation, along with the newly established Division of Urban Forestry, signals a cultural shift. Parks and green spaces are beginning to take center stage as our communities revitalize.

These structural changes have been cemented by the Cleveland Parks & Recreation Plan, a 15-year, community-driven roadmap that will guide decision-making and investments in our city’s parks.

Supported by the Cleveland Parks and Greenspace Coalition, the local delegation returned energized, bringing home both inspiration and practical ideas to strengthen and grow Cleveland’s green spaces.

A group of people stands on a forest trail while one person points into the woods. They appear attentive. Trees and sunlight fill the background. — The Cleveland delegation learns about environmental justice at the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) Outdoor Activity Center.

In Atlanta, we witnessed diverse leadership, both within the park system and at the community level. We saw people of color and neighborhood residents driving the conversation.

The group toured Rodney Cook Sr. Park in Atlanta’s Historic Vine City neighborhood, witnessing a powerful example of what is possible when parks are designed to honor history and heal community.

Built in partnership with The Trust for Public Land, the park artfully integrates green infrastructure to manage stormwater runoff, with a central pond that can capture and filter up to 10 million gallons of stormwater. It also features amenities for all ages and abilities, including ADA-accessible fitness equipment, multiple playgrounds, a splash pad, climbing rocks, and more.

Throughout the park are plaques and statues commemorating civil rights icons and peacemakers, from the Peace Column in honor of Chief Tomochichi, the Indigenous Yamacraw leader who helped found Georgia, to a life-size statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After touring the park, the Cleveland delegation visited the King Family Home, just one block away.

The clear commitment to preserving the neighborhood’s history stretches beyond the park’s development. Funded through philanthropic support, the Westside Future Fund works to address the adverse impacts of gentrification in Vine City through the Anti-Displacement Tax Fund Program. The fund pays qualifying homeowners’ property tax increases in the form of a grant, helping to keep long-term residents in place.

Rodney Cook Sr. Park and the Westside Future Fund are the result of putting the community in the driver’s seat. Here in Cleveland, we have the opportunity to move in that direction, but the real question is: will we build parks for people, or with people?

In Atlanta, the city dares its residents to dream. Through the Park Visioning Program, community members are empowered to lead the design and planning process for their neighborhood parks, fostering a deep sense of ownership from the very beginning.

Led by Park Pride, Park Visioning is a hands-on, step-by-step process that facilitates the co-creation of concept-level park plans, all driven by resident input. This service is offered at no charge and results in a shared vision for neighborhood green spaces that truly reflects the community’s values, priorities, and needs.

By intentionally centering the voices of residents and leveraging participatory design principles, the Park Visioning Program has become a key mechanism for advancing equity in Atlanta. The process also builds lasting neighborhood power by creating stronger connections between neighbors and cultivating a sense of pride that comes from shaping something enduring.

The spirit of renewal unfolding in Cleveland will only grow stronger if we improve park quality, increase investment, and expand park access, especially in neighborhoods that have long been underserved.

The Cleveland Parks and Greenspace Coalition and local park leaders who attended Park Pride are ready to help lead that transformation.

Through the new Community Projects in Parks Program (CP3) initiative, the City has committed to partnering with residents to make community-driven improvements to neighborhood parks.

CP3 is more than a project approval process, it is an invitation for Clevelanders to shape the future of their parks. It’s a promising step toward creating the kind of accessible, vibrant park system that we deserve.

The opportunity is in front of us, but it won’t realize itself. It will take neighbors stepping up, working together, and daring to imagine more. The next chapter is ours to write.