New Orleans - rebuilding its parks

As New Orleans fights to make a comeback after Katrina, the evidence that city parks help improve physical and mental health continues to mount — beyond the expectations of even the most enthusiastic park advocates. To date, more than 6,500 volunteers have invested more than 34,000 hours in cleaning up City Park.

Here’s the story of how New Orleanians are rebuilding their parks and what it symbolizes for them.Read more »

Riverscapes

Memphis kayaker and artist, Martha Kelly, has taken her easel to the riverfront to capture the beauty at our front door.Read more »

A New Status Symbol for Cities

“There’s a new status symbol for American cities, and it’s not a soaring office tower or retro stadium.” According to Jon Weinbach, writing for the Wall Street Journal, “cities are building new parks at a rate not seen for 100 years.”

Weinbach’s article takes a look at why and also considers the role of parks today.
As Weinbach points out, “Developers who once fought with conservationists are now pushing the idea, after discovering that successful parks -- such as Manhattan's Bryant Park and Atlanta's Piedmont Park -- can dramatically increase property values."Read more »