Greater & Greener 2019: Exploring Natural Connections

Join City Parks Alliance, Denver Parks and Recreation, and more than 1,000 global park leaders in Denver, Colorado, July 20-24 for Greater & Greener 2019: Exploring Natural Connections. For more than a decade, Greater & Greener has been the leading international conference exploring the role of parks in addressing some of the biggest challenges in cities. Conference sessions, tours, mobile workshops, and networking opportunities have been carefully curated to foster an honest dialogue around social equity, cross-agency and cross-sector partnerships, funding models, and replicable solutions for parks. 

Greater & Greener will emphasize the natural connections between parks and quality of life, parks and economic benefits, parks and environmental resilience, and the role of parks and city-building.

Keynote Speakers and Mayors Forum Panelists Include:

• Dr. Charles Nilon, Urban Wildlife Ecologist, University of Missouri
• Erion Veliaj, Mayor, Municipality of Tirana, Albania
• Dr. Yılmaz Büyükerşen, Mayor, City of Eskisehir, Turkey
• Juan Camilo Gonzalez, North City General Manager, Bogota, Colombia
• Rosalynn Bliss, Mayor, City of Grand Rapids
• Michael Hancock, Mayor, City of Denver
• Knox White, Mayor, City of Greenville, SC

The conference is an exciting blend of indoor sessions and outdoor experiences that bring the power of parks to life. The five-day conference starts with more than a dozen guided weekend tours highlighting the vast outdoor resources and landmarks of the Denver metro area including Paco Sanchez Park, Confluence Park, Red Rocks, Stapleton, and more. Mobile workshops complement plenaries and sessions on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, the International Forum provides an in-depth look at select projects and models from around the globe. 

Greater & Greener Conference Tracks:

• Equity – principles and tactics for building equity in park funding, workforce, and user engagement.
• Funding – new approaches for park development and maintenance including business improvement districts, tax levies, and cross-agency partnerships.
• Urban Greening and Biodiversity – strategies for developing, stewarding, and measuring efforts, with a focus on building biodiversity and resilience. 
• Parks as Infrastructure – strategies for funding, building, and managing parks for water management, transportation, and connectivity.
• Activating Urban Parks through Recreation – promoting active, healthy lifestyles, boosting activation through programming and design, and making urban cores more livable and family-friendly. 
• City Park Essentials – our popular, interactive, “How To” track with strategies to establish, grow, and sustain multi-sector partnerships.

Continuing education credits for parks and recreation professionals, planners, and landscape architects available:

• Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for Certified Parks and Recreation Professionals (CPRP) | Certified Parks and Recreation Executives (CPRE)
• Professional Development hours (PDH) for landscape architects
• Certification Management credits (CM) for AICP/APA planners
• Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for Certified Park Professional (CPP) and Certified Park Professional International (CPP-I)

For the full conference agenda, speakers, and networking opportunities visit: greatergreener.org