Technical Assistance

The Park Equity Accelerator develops policies, practices, and partnerships that advance park equity. We prioritize working on the following high-impact issues:

• Establishing equitable, data-informed approaches to budgeting for open space.
• Leveraging land use policies as a way to increase access to parks, such as developer exactions and incentives.
• Promoting the development of parks and housing to foster thriving, resilient neighborhoods as communities grow.
• Supporting parks agencies and community partners in developing sustainable approaches to park maintenance and stewardship.
• Identifying and building capacity to unlock underutilized lands, such as libraries, utilities, and rights-of-way, that can expand park access and address community needs.

With Mayor Cognetti’s priorities around improving public infrastructure and creating safer streets for complete neighborhoods, along with the recently published parks needs assessment study, Scranton is positioned to make meaningful progress toward its own park equity goals while also serving as a national leader in developing impactful solutions to common barriers U.S. cities face in their work toward equitable access to high-quality parks for all residents.

Parks have become a large component in Scranton’s economic development plan, and the city has successfully blended projects to incorporate parks; for example, the City used parks for rain gardens to help with stormwater projects and tied parks to streetscape projects.

As part of the PEA, Scranton has:

• Convened community meetings to discuss access and belonging issues related to local parks.
• Conducted an analysis of pedestrian infrastructure leading into four local parks.
• Analyzed streetscaping, canopy cover, and overall greenness across the city.
• Conducted a geospatial analysis of park programming.