SAT-B07: Steadying Winds of Change in Urban Parks: Leadership Lessons from Volatile Times

Saturday, October 11, 2025

2:00 PM – 3:15 PM CT

1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW

Speaker(s)

Catherine Nagel, ASLA (she/her/hers)

Executive Director
City Parks Alliance
Washington, District of Columbia
Mitchell J. Silver, Hon. ASLA

Special Advisor
McAdams
Raleigh, North Carolina
Gina Ford, FASLA

Principal and Co-Founder
Agency Landscape + Planning
Cambridge, Massachusetts

While the myriad of benefits provided by urban parks is more known today, ever-changing constraints and challenges persist: constrained resources, climate change, political winds, and social upheaval, to name a few. This panel brings three leaders from to share hard lessons learned and new practices to help manage change.

Learning Outcomes:

Understand the national context and trends in the planning, design, and management of urban parks nationally.
Learn about best practices related to equity, design, and resilience in park design.
Explore the strengths, opportunities, challenges, and perspectives of various park leadership roles.
Dig into specific examples of cities at the front edge of park management and design.