On 26th September, the Landscape Institute (LI), in association with the Parks Action Group, West Midlands Parks Forum and The Parks Alliance, held a free, all-day CPD event in Birmingham: Empowering parks for the 21st Century. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) funded the event to help address skills needs for modern-day park and landscape managers, and to make and debate the business case for natural spaces of all scales – from urban parks and green spaces to national parks and designated landscapes.
150 delegates attended from local authorities across the UK, as well as a national and international audience for the live broadcast. Delegate feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The main consensus from the day: while ‘21st Century’ parks are already demonstrating their value, the message needs to travel further. The sector needs high-level political and managerial leadership in communities to establish a clear vision for their parks, broker the partnerships necessary to secure investment, and build capacity to deliver.
The presentations are available below.
Uncovering the new LI Competency Framework – Christina Hirst
The Future of Parks, Creating the world we dream of – Neil McCarthy
The case for parks, making the case for future investment – Sue Morgan
So what has central government ever done for us- Caroline Macdonald
Rethinking Parks Pioneers- Alice Casey
Parks of Today, Taking on the Challenge – Anna Barker
Parks International, Learning from innovations abroad – Dave Solly & Carl McClean
ParkPower, pioneering new approaches to managing and resourcing – Julie Procter
Nurturing skills for 21st Century Parks – Paul O’Brien
Networking Needs – Liz Stuffins & Ian Baggot
Improving Wellbeing through Urban Nature, Research into Practice – Nicola Dempsey
How Parks can Empower Communities – Dave Morris
Future Parks Accelerator – Victoria Bradford Keegan & Kathryn Deeney
Creating healthy places, the wellbeing impact of parks – Dr Becca Lovell
Building the business case for parks – Peter Neal
Applying the Natural Capital Approach – Ian Dickie
21st Century Park Management, The Essential Skillset – Paul O’Brien