URBAN AGENDA 1
FOREWORD 1

INTRODUCTION 3

BUSINESS CASE 5 

THE URBAN AGENDA 9 

Be Relevant to All Americans 10

 Activate “One NPS” 14

 Nurture a Culture of Collaboration 17

MODELLING COLLABORATION 21

A CALL FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION 25

APPENDIX 27

ON THE COVER

The imagery on the cover is a collage of iconic images of urban national parks and programs – the 

industrial backdrop of the “new” Lowell demonstrates the power of preservation and relevancy; 

the New Orleans Jazz trumpeter suggesting a clarion call that urban matters; the MLK Memorial 

as a beacon of hope; millennial urban rangers recognizing the next generations of stewards; the 

Gateway Arch as a symbol for pioneering eff orts and innovation; Lady Liberty as a symbol for 

inclusion and strength; the Liberty Bell ringing from above reminds us of our liberties for all; and 

the Golden Gate Bridge acts as a connector of urban landscapes to places of beauty and nature. 

Urban Matters: 

The Call to [Urban] Action

MARCH 2015
URBAN AGENDA 1

The father of American landscape architecture, 

Frederick Law Olmsted, and a key contributor to the 

establishment of the National Park System, said of 

urban parks:

It is one great purpose of the Park to supply to the 

hundreds of thousands of tired workers, who have no 

opportunity to spend their summers in the country, a 

specimen of God’s handiwork that shall be to them, 

inexpensively, what a month or two in the White 

Mountains or the Adirondacks is, at great cost, to those 

in easier circumstances.

Olmsted understood the relevance of urban parks 

to all city residents, especially those who may not 

be able to access the more distant park lands like 

Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon, the 

kind of places for which the National Park Service 

(NPS) is well known. We are less known for our 

work in the urban space and therefore are less 

relevant to the lives of an increasingly urban America. 

The arch at the entrance of Yellowstone states, “For 

the Benefi t and Enjoyment of the People” and those 

who visit certainly benefi t and enjoy this natural 

wonder. But those who live near Golden Gate 

National Recreation Area in San Francisco benefi t 

and enjoy that national park every day, as it is an 

integral part of their urban life.

Urban environments present a higher density and 

more diverse population, lands that often have past 

industrial or disturbance legacies, and a complex 

set of overlapping jurisdictions. These challenge 

the NPS to look for new models, policies and 

approaches beyond the traditional experiences born 

of the large western landscapes. As the NPS looks 

to its second century of stewardship and public 

engagement, some of the greatest innovations are 

now occurring in urban spaces. The NPS, through 

its many programs and parks, has much to off er 

the urban dweller: a sense of place, an escape from 

cubicle confi nes, recognition that everyone’s history 

is important, a restored and accessible waterfront, 

and a threshold experience to a greater outdoors.

It is time that the NPS strategically organize its 

many urban parks and programs towards building 

relevancy for all Americans, to connect with their 

lives where they live, rather than only where some 

may spend their vacation. Extraordinary innovation 

is already out there, with mayors and city leaders, 

businesses and NGOs all investing in new parks, 

new park designs, and new ways to engage communities in creating healthy and livable cities. This is 

an exciting time for the NPS to join in this national 

movement, to off er our assistance and active participation, to listen to new perspectives and help build 

communities across the urban landscape. There 

are pioneers within the National Park Service and 

many partners pushing us forward to embrace our 

urban mission as a critical component of our second 

century. I invite you to engage in this Agenda for the 

benefi t of the National Park Service and especially 

for the benefi t of the people.

Jonathan B. Jarvis, Director
2 URBAN AGENDA
URBAN AGENDA 3

Why do urban environments matter to the National 

Park Service? In many ways, the environmental, 

economic and social well-being of the nation hinges 

on the vitality and prosperity of its cities. Cities are 

dynamic cultural and information hubs constantly 

driving new ideas, trends and innovation out across 

the nation. They have enormous infl uence on 

shaping the lifestyles, preferences and values of new 

generations of Americans.

Since the creation of New York City’s Central Park 

in the mid-19th century, urban parks have been 

essential cornerstones to building and maintaining 

healthier and more livable cities and communities. 

The National Park Service has been part of a larger 

urban parks movement from the earliest days of the 

agency’s founding in 1916. Starting with the nation’s 

capital city in the early 1930s, Congress has gradually 

expanded the urban footprint of the National Park 

Service by authorizing more programs to serve urban 

communities and establish units of the national park 

system in 40 of the country’s 50 most populated 

metropolitan areas. 

Not only are urban national parks and programs an 

essential component to the social fabric of a city, 

but they, as never before, represent an essential 

component of the national park system itself. Urban 

national parks are particularly well positioned as 

places where young people, many from diverse and 

often underserved communities, can experience 

close-to-home outdoor recreation and nature; arts, 

culture and history; and perhaps most importantly, 

gain some sense of confi dence and encouragement 

about their own future. 

While the National Park Service Urban Agenda is 

focused on the work of the NPS in metropolitan 

areas, ultimately the relevancy and sustainability 

of every national park can be strengthened by 

this work. It reaches beyond city limits, seeking to 

strengthen the intersection between urban populations and more remote national parks. The Agenda 

challenges national parks and programs operating in both cities and more distant locations to 

creatively rethink how we can connect to the 80% 

of Americans residing in urban areas. It is critical 

to ensure that all national parks, both urban and 

rural, are accessible, relevant, and meaningful to 

urban audiences. 

The NPS Urban Agenda contains a number of 

specifi c strategies, but most importantly it puts forth 

a way of working that is more intentional, collaborative and ultimately more sustainable. The Agenda 

recommends an unprecedented strategic alignment 

of parks, programs and partners—a mobilization 

and coordination of all NPS resources. Success is 

dependent on keeping focused, improving lateral 

communication, messaging and setting shared 

objectives and priorities.

This Agenda is for everyone!
4 URBAN AGENDA

CRAFTING THE URBAN AGENDA

This Urban Agenda is derived from the voices of many National Park Service (NPS) professionals and 

partners across the nation with deep passion for and experience in engaging with urban America. These 

voices are represented in this living document and each of us has an opportunity to put these principles 

into practice in our respective parks, cities, and programs. The principles and priorities of the Agenda 

originate from those who will utilize it to strengthen the urban parks and communities they serve. 

The genesis for the Urban Agenda was in 2012 when a small group of NPS leaders met as a caucus at 

the City Parks Alliance conference in New York City. Together, these leaders identifi ed the foundational 

elements of the NPS Urban Agenda. That initial group of 39 went on to enlist over 350 people from 

within and outside NPS, representing almost every state and over 40 park units, to help create the NPS 

Urban Agenda. This process relied upon highly intentional actions to create channels of connection 

between urban practitioners. It included multiple modes of communication (websites, face-to-face, 

webinar, conference call, and social media) and facilitated discussions on key urban topics, beginning 

with those identifi ed at the initial NPS urban caucus.

This Agenda is just the beginning. Continuing to exchange experience and broaden understanding of 

the full NPS portfolio across departments will help to move the Agenda forward, improve decisionmaking, and enhance problem-solving in times of challenge and change. The team that convened the 

urban community of practice will continue to provide opportunities to develop skills, curricula, webinars and other opportunities to spread good practice. To activate the Urban Agenda go to: www.nps.

gov/urban
URBAN AGENDA 5

Why Urban Matters

The landscapes and stories of the national park 

system have evolved and diversifi ed in dramatic and 

inspiring ways. The work of the NPS now represents American art forms, traverses multiple jurisdictions along water and overland trails, reaches 

deep into the oceans, extends into urban centers 

and connects people to places that are expressions 

of who we are as a nation.

Since the National Park Service was established, 

the demographics of the U.S. have changed 

dramatically. In 1916, the nation was 50% urbanized 

compared to today at over 80%. These demographic 

changes aff ect how parks are valued, how they are 

visited, what kinds of development are appropriate, 

and who will support the parks. Indisputably, 

much of the success of the National Park Service in 

coming years will depend on its ability to diversify and prove its relevancy to new populations. 

Strengthening the agency’s external relationships, diversifying its workforce, and aligning with 

community-driven agendas that relate to the NPS 

mission are among the many strategies required to 

help NPS create relationships with new audiences.

In addition to protecting this NPS legacy, the 

diverse system of park units and the extensive 

portfolio of community, cultural, and land conservation assistance programs within the NPS can be 

leveraged to address challenges cities presently 

face. While there is still more to uncover about the 

potential of NPS urban parks and programs, the 

following graphics take a compelling look at ways 

the National Park Service is poised to pivot toward 

an increasingly urban and diverse citizenry.

Business Case
6 URBAN AGENDA
URBAN AGENDA 7
8 URBAN AGENDA
URBAN AGENDA 9

A tremendous amount of innovation and political 

will went into the establishment of what are considered to be early models for how the NPS responded 

to America’s growing urban needs for parks, open 

space and community revitalization. The traditional park model was twisted and rewired in the 

1960s-70s into places like San Francisco’s Golden 

Gate National Recreation Area, Los Angeles’ Santa 

Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, 

Massachusetts’ Lowell National Historical Park and 

Atlanta’s Chattahoochee River National Recreation 

Area. These are places that required collaboration, 

persistence, leveraging public and private funds, and 

creative responses to traditional ways of thinking. In 

addition to new types of parks, new programs such 

as Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance called 

for the NPS to be more accessible to communities.

These models, and others illuminated in the Urban 

Agenda, continue to evolve and respond to dynamic 

urban environments and our national priorities. 

Most importantly, they seek inclusive ways of 

building relationships that blend National Park 

Service and community values—approaches that can 

serve the NPS as a whole. The method for engaging 

employees and partners in crafting the NPS Urban 

Agenda has been to look at pioneering actions 

and innovative examples within the NPS as well as 

models around the nation that the NPS can emulate. 

However, the Urban Agenda suggests that we do 

more to unite parks, programs and partnerships 

with greater intentionality and demonstrate how a 

coherent system can work with an urban landscape. 

It is clear from the many people who engaged in 

conversations over the last several years that the 

NPS is ready to activate an urban agenda to fulfi ll its 

mission and obligations to the American people.

The Call to [Urban] Action

The National Park Service’s Call to Action

commenced new and expanded thinking about ways 

to better connect urban communities to their heritage, parks, recreational assets, waterways, and neighborhood ecosystems. The NPS Urban Caucus that 

convened in New York City at the City Parks Alliance 

meeting in 2012 reinforced a calling for urban parks 

and programs to “step into their power.” The discussions also revealed some of the obstacles facing the 

NPS. People described the organizational structure 

as siloed, hierarchical and risk-averse. There was 

general agreement that greater interdisciplinarism, 

expanded partnerships and better communications 

are critical to the agency’s ability to address complex 

issues and present a more coherent system of parks 

and programs to the public. If the NPS can eff ectively 

reach across divisions, breaking down silos and traditional hierarchies, the extensive and diverse portfolio 

of the NPS can provide unique value-added services 

and support to urban populations and communities. 

The NPS Urban Agenda sets out three bold 

principles:

1. Be Relevant to All Americans

2. Activate “ONE NPS”

3. Nurture a Culture of Collaboration
Relevancy to All Americans — a bold challenge for 

the National Park Service, and not an easy undertaking. It is complex and assumes that the NPS and 

its partners have the ability and resources to uphold 

this goal. However, as demonstrated earlier in the 

Business Case, it is clear that within 30 years more 

than half the nation will be people of color; about 

one-third will be Hispanic. This demographic shift 

is not represented in the NPS workforce, themes 

interpreted in its parks, or in its visitors.

The late John Hope Franklin, a former chairman 

of the National Park System Advisory Board, stated 

in the report, Rethinking the National Parks for the 

21st Century:

The public looks upon national parks almost as a 

metaphor for America itself. But there is another 

image emerging here, a picture of the National 

Park Service as a sleeping giant—beloved and 

respected, yes; but perhaps too cautious, too resistant to change, too reluctant to engage the challenges that must be addressed in the 21st century. 

The Park Service must ensure that the American 

story is told faithfully, completely, and accurately. 

The story is often noble, but sometimes shameful 

and sad. In an age of growing cultural diversity, 

the Service must continually ask whether the way 

in which it tells these stories has meaning for all 

our citizens.

Now considered an imperative, the NPS is retooling 

its strategy to address relevancy, diversity and inclusion (RDI) as a multi-dimensional approach in all 

its parks and programs. The strategy recognizes the 

need to address underrepresented people in national 

parks as well as the importance of workforce diversity and the role of national parks in the social fabric 

of local communities. While disparities in visitation and employment have been identifi ed before, 

1

10 URBAN AGENDA

Be Relevant to All Americans
commitment needs to be made to address the underlying institutional barriers that go beyond the NPS 

(i.e. hiring processes). To be inclusive as an agency 

and further develop long-term and dynamic relationships with local communities, the NPS will require a 

culturally competent workforce. Greater diversity in 

the NPS workforce will bring a broader spectrum of 

perspectives into decision-making. 

Stewards for the Future

Innovation is fl ourishing within youth programs that 

reach across all program areas including science, 

interpretation, natural resources, law enforcement, 

cultural resources, and administration. Dynamic new 

programs are emerging that create not just one-time 

experiences but instead build “ladders of engagement.” Santa Monica Mountains and Boston Harbor 

Islands national recreation areas have developed 

programs to engage youth of diverse backgrounds 

that go beyond short-term outreach activities to 

provide a continuing pathway for deepening parkcommunity relationships (i.e., service learning 

experiences in parks and communities, summer 

work opportunities for young adults, or internships). 

Collaborating closely with community partners, 

these parks are building strong connections through 

long-term, carefully crafted initiatives that complement the more common short-term experiences and 

result in deeper engagement. These programs are 

being integrated into the RDI strategy for enhancing 

workforce diversity and building a growing constituency that supports the NPS mission. 

The following examples exemplify this principle:

Bridging the Gap Between Urban 

and Rural

NORTH COAST AND CASCADES NETWORK 

Many of our nation’s more rural parks are already 

taking steps to build meaningful connections to urban 

populations. The city of Seattle represents an ideal 

entry point to an array of NPS parks and programs. 

This metropolitan area is surrounded by eight national 

parks, all within two to four hours of the city. These 

national parks are invaluable interfaces between urban 

and rural. Many Seattle youth are aware of the existence of Mount Rainier because they can see it from the 

city, but few knew it was part of a national park or had 

ever visited any national parks in the Pacifi c Northwest.

A recent project initiated by the North Coast and 

Cascades Network (NCCN), a network that includes the 

eight national parks surrounding Seattle, looks at how 

these national parks can reach audiences in the Seattle 

metro area. The project sought to enhance connections 

between urban youth and national parks and looked 

to urban youth organizations as potential connectors 

between youth and the more rural national parks. To 

determine effective ways to build these connections, 

the project identifi ed youth organizations that would 

benefi t from programs offered by the region’s national 

parks. Organizations like the YMCA, nonprofi ts, and 

parks and recreation community centers represented 

valuable partners for the NPS to work side by side as 

they built a ladder of engagement with urban youth. 

Connecting Urban Youth to Nature

CANOEMOBILE

Canoemobile is a national program aimed to meet 

urban youth where they are, literally and fi guratively, 

with high quality environmental education and outdoor 

learning experiences in their own backyard. 

The Canoemobile event catalyzes federal, state, and 

local governments, school districts, and non-profi t service providers to come together to provide environmental education “where it is least expected”—in locations 

close to neighborhoods and schools. Local partners 

continue to provide overnight and multi-day outdoor 

experiences for urban youth following the event, 

URBAN AGENDA 11
making routine efforts to incorporate the families of 

the students into the relationship building process. 

Canoemobile works to complete the cycle of engagement by establishing an Outdoor Jobs Council made up 

of members of the community and leaders in publicprivate organizations that provide employment and 

education in environment and outdoor-related jobs. 

Coordinated by Wilderness Inquiry, Canoemobile has 

reached over 7,000 youth in 20 cities including Chicago, 

Milwaukee, Michigan City, Louisville, Cincinnati, 

Philadelphia, and New York.

21st Century Parks: 

Change and Continuity

Progressive cities across America are recognizing the 

importance that parks, open space, historic preservation and protected natural areas have in elevating 

economic vitality, public health, recreational benefi ts, 

educational experiences, and a sense of place. In 

places where public spaces are scarce, people are 

reimagining underutilized spaces for new and creative 

uses. For example, in New York City, the “High Line,” 

a 1930s elevated freight line, outlived its functionality 

and became derelict. When it was proposed to be 

demolished, a group of local activists challenged the 

proposal and ultimately developed a vision to reclaim 

the rail line as a public space. Now considered to be 

one of the great transformations of an urban space in 

the U.S., the High Line integrated historic preservation and creative design into a remarkable outdoor 

space. But it was the overarching vision and shared 

values that made this adaptive reuse approach viable, 

embracing both change and continuity.

As in the case of the High Line, the NPS can point to 

models that demonstrate the value of integrated multiobjective city/park design. For example, the redesign 

of the St. Louis waterfront connects the Gateway Arch 

with the Mississippi River, the east bank in Illinois 

and the greater St. Louis region; Golden Gate’s Crissy 

Field connects San Franciscans with their industrial 

waterfront heritage while restoring and conserving 

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS 

LEND SUPPORT 

Some examples that are making a difference:

■ The National Park Foundation is funding innovation grants and creative programs that 

directly address park needs and engage new 

diverse audiences; 

■ The Student Conservation Association in 

partnership with the NPS has created the NPS 

Academy, a program that is targeting minority college students; and developed inner-city 

programs in places like Detroit, Baltimore 

and Chicago to provide career exploration in 

park management and conservation;

■ The National Parks Conservation Association 

– Center for Park Management is working 

directly with urban parks on spawning innovative ways for civic engagement and design 

thinking tools that can assist park leaders in 

building relationships with communities; and

■ The Greening Youth Foundation is partnering with the NPS to connect Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities to provide career 

exploration and NPS experiences to students.

12 URBAN AGENDA
its natural and ecological values; and, the restored 

canalways and redeveloped mills of Lowell are all 

stunning examples of public lands designed for the 

dual purpose of preservation and increased community use. All of these projects have taken an entrepreneurial approach to refresh existing assets, leverage 

partnerships to activate these sites with programming, 

and have depended on community insights to ensure 

they stay relevant and well used.

For the NPS to achieve greater relevancy is a 

complex but vital challenge. The NPS is making 

progress in its quest for greater relevancy, but there 

is still a long way to go. The National Park System 

Advisory Board pointed to many occasions when the 

NPS was not willing to work toward consensus with 

municipalities and nonprofi t organizations on the 

grounds that it would set a poor precedent elsewhere 

for the Service. The Advisory Board reported, “this 

is probably the single most common reason for strife 

between the NPS and its potential partners in urban 

areas.” The Urban Agenda calls for a bold approach 

that adapts traditional park models to urban environments by using inclusive, collaborative methods and 

structures in order to best serve the communities 

living around national parks. Success in this area is 

deeply tied to strengthening a culture of collaboration through outreach, building relationships, and 

forging equitable, transparent partnerships.

The following examples exemplify this principle:

Reimagining Urban Spaces

ST. LOUIS GATEWAY ARCH 

Since the completion of the Arch in 1965, local leaders 

have been discussing ways to better connect the iconic 

structure to the city it represents. In 2009, a collaborative approach to the park’s General Management Plan 

was leveraged into an opportunity for NPS to pivot 

its efforts toward shared community goals, create an 

added $367 million dollar impact and generate 4,400 

jobs for the region. CityArchRiver 2015—a partnership 

among local, state and federal government entities, 

civic organizations, private businesses, and citizens—

created a new design for the park and surrounding 

grounds and is now constructing the project. These 

plans will not only increase visitation and make new 

connections to underserved communities, but will have 

an economic impact on the overall city.

National Heritage Areas 

RIVERS OF STEEL, PITTSBURGH, 

PENNSYLVANIA

National Heritage Areas (NHAs) further the mission of 

the NPS. Distinctively different from national parks, 

NHAs typically do not own land, do not possess regulatory powers and are required to leverage federal funds. 

NHAs are lived-in landscapes. Consequently, NHA entities collaborate with communities to determine how to 

make heritage relevant to local interests and needs.

Located in western Pennsylvania, the Rivers of Steel 

National Heritage Corridor’s mission integrates conservation, preservation, interpretation, recreation, 

and economic revitalization, with a community-based 

focus that emphasizes the importance of the Corridor’s 

heritage story. This broad mandate, established by 

Congress in the authorizing legislation, helps to ensure 

the relevancy of Corridor programs and provides a “big 

tent” for collaboration and building partnerships. The 

planning completed at the local level led to support 

from state and federal agencies to support projects such 

as rail trails, the development of museums and visitor 

centers, river landings for community development and 

recreational boating, a branding and wayfi nding system, historic restoration of mills and historic properties, 

oral history projects and more.

URBAN AGENDA 13
Engaging the Entirety of the National Park 

Service – Imagine the collective power the agency 

would have if the National Park Service truly 

performed as a “system” of national parks and 

programs – an integrated conservation, education, 

economic and recreation strategy for the nation. 

By proximity, urban parks and programs hold the 

potential to connect to more Americans—and more 

underserved Americans—than perhaps any other 

segment of the National Park System. The Service 

has a tremendous opportunity to expand people’s 

understanding of its national parks and program 

off erings as a whole by reaching into metropolitan 

regions where most Americans live, work and play.

An Evolving System 

of Parks and Programs

As the American landscape and its narrative have 

evolved, so has the National Park Service. It refl ects 

both our vast natural and cultural heritage, but also 

the many powerful stories of its people. Today, the 

NPS is the steward of over 400 diverse park units 

and more than 40 programs that serve communities 

across the country.

The lesser known parts of this portfolio include the 

many programs that expand its conservation reach 

into communities and beyond the boundaries of 

the National Park System. National Park Service 

programs, like the parks and themes represented 

in the national park system, are diverse in their 

purpose, scope, and history. Some programs, such 

as the Historic American Buildings Survey and 

Historic American Engineering Record, have long 

histories as part of the federal historic preservation movement. Others, like the Land and Water 

Conservation Fund Program, enhance immeasurably the quality of life in local communities. 

Still others, such as the National Heritage Areas 

program, empower citizens to protect the natural 

and cultural heritage of their region.

Working together, the NPS portfolio has the power to:

■ Engage the Next Generation: The millennial 

generation is one of the most important stakeholders for the future of the United States. This 

cohort will be the next generation of advocates 

and stewards for the NPS. The Department of 

the Interior’s “Play, Learn, Serve, Work” initiative refl ects the continuum of experiences that 

the NPS seeks as young people develop in their 

lives and fi nd opportunities in parks, places 

and programs. 

2 Activate “One NPS”

14 URBAN AGENDA
URBAN AGENDA 15

■ Expand Engagement and Support of 

Communities: Through a diverse system of park 

areas and extensive community, cultural resource 

and lands assistance programs, the National Park 

Service substantially contributes to the social, 

health, environmental and economic goals of 

urban communities.

■ Collaborate through Partnership: The NPS 

includes more than two dozen unique community, cultural, and resource assistance programs 

which are built on collaboration and excel in 

community partnerships. To achieve success, the 

NPS needs to focus on collaborating with others, 

building partnerships, and defi ning the agency’s 

unique complementary role in the urban arena.

■ Promote Healthy, Active Outdoor Recreation:

The positive connection between levels of physical 

outdoor activity, and access to parks and public 

health is now highly documented. Programs 

such as Healthy Parks Healthy People and Park 

Prescriptions demonstrate how the NPS can work 

with national, state, and local parks, as well as 

healthcare providers, foundations, and advocacy 

organizations to provide people with equal access 

to green space and expand the health-related role 

that parks can have in our society.

■ Build Relevancy and Value: In order for the 

NPS to remain relevant to an increasingly diverse 

American population, it must reach out to urban 

areas, diverse communities, and youth. Utilizing 

parks and programs to reach diverse communities, enhance educational opportunities, and 

foster partnerships and relationships will be 

critical to fulfi lling the mission in the second 

century of the Service.

■ Provide Leadership in Heritage Conservation 

and Restoration: Natural spaces and cultural 

resources are of high value for education, recreation, economic and ecological benefi ts. As places 

to experience nature and act as natural buff ers 

to the eff ects of climate change, natural spaces in 

urban areas are increasingly important as the NPS 

and partners develop management and mitigation 

plans. NPS cultural resource programs, working 

with preservation partners, provide additional 

opportunities to support preservation of historic 

resources, economic revitalization, tourism, 

and sustainability.

The following examples exemplify this principle:

Urban Ecology and Resilience

GATEWAY NATIONAL RECREATION AREA 

In recent years the National Park Service and the City of 

New York have created a productive partnership to plan 

for the future in an era of climate change. The City of 

New York and the National Parks of New York Harbor 

are united in recognizing that simply managing the 

resources within each agency’s respective boundaries no 

longer guarantees the resilience of natural resources. 

Adaptive management approaches to account for factors beyond park borders such as surrounding development, air quality, water pollution, climate change, and 

political conditions are needed. Managing the impacts 

of Hurricane Sandy has already challenged traditional 

strategies and posed diffi cult questions such as how 

much to intervene in habitat creation and the park’s 

responsibility to protect neighboring communities from 

future weather events. Gateway and local partners 

increasingly rely on each other to balance community 

and political agendas with resource protection goals. 

A new Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay 

coordinates local stakeholders in the metro area to 

share knowledge, planning efforts and progress, and 

taps global expertise in resilience planning and urban 

ecology to enrich local efforts.
Blending Park and Community Values

LOWELL NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

Lowell National Historical Park has found a way to balance park and community values that leverages the full 

arsenal of NPS programs with local, state, and federal 

resources. Lowell’s moniker, “the City is the Park and 

the Park is the City,” describes the level of collaboration that has been embedded in Lowell since the Park’s 

establishment. Through this partnership, Lowell has 

attracted more than $1 billion in private investment 

and nearly 500 buildings have been restored with 

technical and/or fi nancial assistance from the National 

Park Service over the Park’s 36-year history. The vast 

improvement in community pride and self-confi dence is 

evident in the many initiatives that have revitalized this 

city—characteristics that were in short supply when the 

Park was authorized by Congress in 1978. In addition to 

the preservation and rehabilitation of Lowell’s infrastructure, programmatic partnerships in cultural heritage, education, and tourism have also been important 

to Lowell’s economic development. Events co-produced 

by the Lowell Festival Foundation attract 100,000 – 

150,000 people each summer. The award-winning 

Tsongas Industrial Center and the Center for Lowell 

History, managed in collaboration with University of 

Massachusetts Lowell, host some 50,000 students annually and have been essential to the Park’s success in 

historic research and educational outreach. 

16 URBAN AGENDA
URBAN AGENDA 17

3 Nurture a Culture of 

Collaboration

Engaging in a National Movement – The upcoming 

NPS Centennial provides a platform to engage in a 

national movement with local and national leaders 

that are looking at parks and conservation as a 

strategy for creating healthy and liveable cities. It 

will, however, require some internal refl ection to 

envision the systemic changes needed for acting 

upon the NPS Urban Agenda.

The complex mission of the National Park Service 

in many ways refl ects many of the core values 

of most American cities – education, economy, 

environment, culture, and health. Taken in sum, 

the off erings of national parks and programs can be 

thought of as critical factors in building a sense of 

community. Much like that of a city, national parks 

also have a responsibility to provide infrastructure 

and resources to be vital while also supporting 

activities that serve the human spirit. The jurisdictional boundary of a city, or a park, is defi ned for 

political and management purposes. Within these 

boundaries, they connect with a myriad of other 

jurisdictions and systems that help to defi ne who is 

responsible for what. But when we get to the edges, 

boundaries need to fi nd connection and context – 

e.g., transportation systems, ecological systems (air, 

water, wildlife, trails, etc.) It is at these intersections 

that the need for interdependency becomes 

apparent. Working in dynamic urban environments 

and in an era of fi nancial constraint means that no 

one division, program, park, or the agency itself, has 

suffi cient resources or knowledge to address problems on their own.

A culture of collaboration that fosters mutual 

respect, strong working relationships, and shared 

operational goals is required to deploy One 

NPS successfully. Internally, the NPS will need 

to support collaborative leadership and experiment with new management structures that break 

down silos and make full use of the Service’s skills, 

authorities, and programs. Leadership can help 

facilitate cross-departmental understanding of 

NPS and its parts, empowering and resourcing 

staff to reach out for information across the system 

and with partners that can aid decision-making or 

leverage resources toward common goals.

Externally, the NPS will need to fi nd its place on a 

crowded stage of social and economic development 

actors. Put simply, the National Park Service cannot 

go it alone, and this is especially true in urban areas. 

To be successful, the NPS will need to re-tool itself to 

add value in complex partnerships.

URBAN AGENDA 17
18 URBAN AGENDA

2,540

National Historic Landmarks

40,400

Historic Tax Incentives

7,500

Rivers & Trails 

Assistance (RTCA) Projects

6,800

Historic Preservation Fund 

Grants

49

National Heritage Areas

42,000

Land & Water 

Conservation Fund Projects

45,939

Historic American Buildings 

Survey (HABS) / Historic 

American Engineering 

Record (HAER) Sites

90,540

National Register 

of Historic Places

 

1,500

Urban Park Recovery Projects

2,540 6,800 45,939

40,400 49 90,540

7,500 42,000 1,500
The following examples exemplify this principle:

Blurring Jurisdictions to Serve 

Common Goals

HEALTHY PARKS, HEALTHY PEOPLE

Golden Gate National Recreation Area partners with 

over forty public health, healthcare, land management, 

and community organizations in a collaboration called 

Healthy Parks Healthy People: Bay Area (HPHP Bay 

Area). Together, these organizations provide a suite of 

culturally-relevant programs that supports communities 

with high health needs to access and enjoy parks. HPHP 

Bay Area programs now take place in 35 parks, serving 

over 100 new park users in the Bay Area each month. 

Before taking action, NPS staff attended a series of 

meetings with pediatricians and public health personnel 

to better understand the needs of San Francisco’s most 

underserved communities. The NPS also collaborates 

with other park agencies, such as East Bay Regional 

Park District and San Francisco Recreation and Parks, 

to map recreation offerings in the region. A nonprofi t 

partner, the Institute at the Golden Gate, serves as a 

neutral facilitator to help partners across fi elds identify a common agenda and continues to coordinate 

action and collect program data that informs collective 

decision-making. 

Connecting Urban Residents 

to Public Lands

EL PUEBLO DE LOS ANGELES

El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument is 

located in one of the nation’s most densely populated, 

diverse, and historic neighborhoods. It is a hub for 

cultural preservation, with nearby partners including the La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Avila Adobe, the 

Chinese American Museum, and America Tropical. El 

Pueblo is also strategically located for developing public 

lands engagement, located one half mile from the 

Los Angeles River, a half mile from Los Angeles State 

Historic Park, and blocks away from the Los Angeles 

Conservation Corps offi ce. A new Urban Outreach and 

Education offi ce located in the historic Quon Building 

at El Pueblo is a partnership between the National Park 

Service, California State Parks, the City of Los Angeles, 

the US Forest Service and the Western National Parks 

Association. The outreach offi ce serves as an introduction for local urban residents to nearby public lands. It 

provides a home for traditional programming in nontraditional urban settings, such as a recent Los Angeles 

River campout; volunteer and service-learning projects; 

and is a launch point for excursions to lands within 

Santa Monica Mountains. The outreach offi ce sits 

directly across from Union Station at the intersection of 

Los Angeles’s public transportation networks.

URBAN AGENDA 19
20 URBAN AGENDA
URBAN AGENDA 21

The NPS will demonstrate how a coherent system

of national parks, programs and partnerships can 

be deployed in 8-10 in urban landscapes. Feedback 

has been received from people at all levels of the 

agency—from the directorate to superintendents 

to partners—that parks are not fully aware of what 

NPS programs are doing just down the street, and 

vice versa. Partners are confused about who to turn 

to for assistance. Application of scarce resources 

is more diff use, and therefore less eff ectual than it 

needs to be. The NPS models will be designed to 

link national and regional resources and people at 

local scale. Applying its full portfolio of resources in 

strategic ways, these models will test opportunities 

for organizational shifts that promote and promulgate individual and park/program successes that 

can be shared across the system. It will also allow 

the Service to more eff ectively communicate the 

value of its work and brand at the community level. 

Model cities will be chosen to refl ect the challenges 

and opportunities the NPS experiences in the 

following areas:

1. A Park Within a City

This is the most obvious case—urban park(s) 

embedded in a city. Model projects will develop 

strategies for alignment of park, program and 

partner resources to serve and pilot in major urban 

areas. This strategy will target coordinated NPS 

work in metropolitan areas or other locations where 

the agency already has signifi cant on-the-ground 

resources that can be coupled with agency programs 

and regional partners to signifi cantly contribute 

to the quality of life, economy and conservation 

agendas of urban areas. Pilot eff orts would focus 

on opportunities for community engagement and 

resource leveraging; joint or cooperative management of parks, sustainable services and facility 

operations; planning and implementation of access 

and transportation enhancements, and other ways 

that both parks and programs can better serve and 

support common park and community goals.

2. Larger Regional Landscape that Includes 

Urban-Rural Interface

Although many national parks or other designated 

areas (heritage areas) are not embedded in cities, 

they are—or could be—serving urban populations. 

The NPS would explore a new paradigm for the NPS 

role and engagement in these peripheral parks/areas 

and encourage and develop a professional cadre of 

staff community outreach and relations, including: 

expanding collaboration with local, state or regional 

entities on coordination of urban roles and agendas, 

and improving coordination with other Federal entities that complement priorities of the NPS in select 

urban areas.

3. City Without a Physical NPS Presence

The models will develop strategies for the alignment 

of park programs in coordination with partners to 

create viable and eff ective service capacity in urban 

areas with little or no physical park presence. This 

strategic approach would target high potential 

urban areas where park unit presence is minimal but 

park programs—including technical and fi nancial 
22 URBAN AGENDA

assistance from the agency’s community, cultural and 

historic programs—could be aligned to complement 

and assist existing regional collaborative or partnership eff orts across the country.

Activating the 

Urban Models

As the urban models are developed they will 

employ entrepreneurialism and engagement so that 

there is agency ownership built into their creation. 

A backbone support team will provide operational 

and communication support. 

Each model area will employ an “Urban Fellow” 

to collaborate with park and program leaders 

and partners. The fellows will act as a broker and 

facilitator in the park/city, helping to develop and 

maintain partnerships between the NPS, other 

agencies, city, and community organizations.

The goal for each model area will be to enhance the 

NPS role in:

1. Engaging NPS programs in identifying values 

and strategic interests in their assigned model 

city through asset mapping processes and other 

innovative tools to assess opportunities and align 

resources;

2. Building alliances with federal, state and local 

agencies that help to identify shared goals and 

accelerate interagency collaboration and complementary action;

3. Building alliances with local non-profi ts, educational institutions, foundations, and others to help 

identify and achieve shared goals;

4. Designing and launching city-specifi c initiative(s) 

that leverage the full suite of NPS programmatic 

and park assets designed to protect resources and 

improve quality of life for urban residents; and

5. Developing consistent and comparable data 

resources that defi ne measurable outcomes for 

evaluating models and sharing results with the 

national Urban Matters community of practice.
URBAN AGENDA 23

The role of the Urban Fellow in the model cities 

is not meant to be prescriptive but tailored by 

the parks, programs, and communities in which 

they will work. Given the unique opportunities, 

challenges, and landscapes of the model cities, 

the fellow position is designed to be fl exible and 

address the needs of the model city. 

Strengthening collaborative leadership skills across 

the NPS will help employees to partner with 

communities, other agencies, and mission-aligned 

organizations in recognition that “we are all in this 

together” socially, economically, culturally, and 

environmentally. Along with opportunities to model 

best practices in partnership, the urban models 

are intended to develop a pipeline of talented, 21st 

century leaders for the NPS who are primed to 

advance collaborative leadership within the NPS.

But it doesn’t stop at the model cities. While the 

model cities are learning labs—places where the 

Service and partners can explore what it means 

and what it takes to truly activate One NPS—it will 

be through sharing the experiences of everyone 

working to bring forth the principles of the Agenda 

that will foster a culture of collaboration across the 

Service and beyond.
24 URBAN AGENDA
URBAN AGENDA 25

Urban matters to us all – With over 80% of 

Americans now living in cities, there has never been 

a clearer call to strengthen our urban presence and 

broaden the base of understanding and support for 

the NPS. Connecting with Americans where they 

live is in the interest of all units and programs within 

the National Park System, as its ability to engage 

with urban residents and build relationships with 

new audiences will aff ect how parks are valued and 

supported. Urban areas also represent the clearest 

channel for engaging with the next generation of 

conservationists, preservationists, environmental 

leaders and stewards of the nation’s cultural heritage.

The NPS Urban Agenda recommends an unprecedented strategic alignment of parks, programs and 

partnerships to leverage the full portfolio of the NPS 

resources within urban areas. Collaboration is important everywhere, but the density and social complexity 

in urban areas make it imperative. Urban practitioners 

from across the National Park System have provided 

their experience and insight to illuminate three bold 

principles: Be Relevant to All Americans – Activate 

One NPS – and Nurture a Culture of Collaboration. 

These principles are not confi ned to urban work. 

This Agenda calls for modeling their adoption fi rst in 

urban areas but ultimately across the Service. 

The NPS is committed to supporting the principles 

of the NPS Urban Agenda and to providing resources 

that will help them take hold across the Service. 

Urban Fellows in model cities across the U.S. will 

employ facilitative leadership to increase alignment 

within the NPS and the communities it serves. A 

community of urban practitioners continues to 

convene and champion key urban topics, including 

specifi c strategies and recommendations for enacting 

the Agenda. A central meeting space is online at 

www.nps.gov/urban . Partners are also encouraged to 

learn more about the NPS Urban Agenda by joining 

the online community of practice and by reaching 

out to local NPS staff .

The NPS Urban Agenda challenges employees across 

the entirety of its diverse divisions and departments to embrace a fundamentally diff erent way of 

working. The Agenda invites the NPS to embrace 

the inherent tensions between preserve and serve, 

between protect and extend, and to enroll the 

expertise of other agencies, partners, and community stakeholders to interpret the best-fi t solutions 

that meet shared goals and community needs. The 

NPS Urban Agenda shines light on innovators who 

have embraced a culture of shared responsibility and 

shared success, who have leveraged the many assets 

of the NPS to tackle complex challenges, and who 

have demonstrated a community commitment that is 

genuine and long-term. These bright spots across the 

nation demonstrate the potential of a more collaborative, facilitative, and entrepreneurial approach to 

fulfi lling the mission of the National Park Service. It 

is the aim of the Urban Agenda that these practices 

become the new business as usual.

To engage in the National Park Service Urban 

Agenda, go to: www.nps.gov/urban
26 URBAN AGENDA
URBAN AGENDA 27

The National Park Service Urban Agenda was derived from many voices – NPS professionals, partners, city 

planners, park enthusiasts and others who saw new and enhanced opportunities for the National Park Service 

in urban landscapes. To activate the NPS Urban Agenda we encourage your continued involvement by going 

to www.nps.gov/urban.

NPS Directorate

Jonathan Jarvis, Director

Margaret O’Dell, Deputy Director, Operations

Maureen Foster, Chief of Staff

Stephanie Toothman, Associate Director, 

Cultural Resources, Partnerships and Science

Victor Knox, Associate Director, 

Park Planning, Facilities and Lands

Steve Whitesell, Regional Director, National Capital 

(retired); Call to Action Champion – Parks for People

Michael Reynolds, Associate Director, Workforce, 

Relevancy, and Inclusion; Call to Action Champion – 

Destination Innovation

Mike Caldwell, Regional Director, Northeast

Lisa Mendelson, Acting Regional Director, National Capitol

Stan Austin, Regional Director, Southeast

Patty Trap, Acting Regional Director, Midwest

Sue Masica, Regional Director, Intermountain

Christine Lehnertz, Regional Director, Pacifi c West

Bert Frost, Regional Director, Alaska

Alma Ripps, Chief of Policy

Tim Reid, 2014 Albright Fellow

NPS Urban Strategists (2012-2014)

Following the 2012 Urban Caucus several urban leaders 

were identifi ed to design a process for engaging a large 

number of NPS and partners in a conversation on the 

National Parks Service in urban environments. 

Participants included:

Stan Austin, Regional Director, Southeast Region

Celeste Bernardo, Superintendent, Lowell

Mike Caldwell, Regional Director, Northeast Region

Frank Dean, Superintendent, Golden Gate

Mickey Fearn, former Deputy Director

Bruce Jacobson, Superintendent, Boston Harbor Islands 

(retired)

Paul Labovitz, Superintendent, Indiana Dunes

Robert Ratcliffe, Chief, Conservation & Outdoor Recreation

Patty Wissinger, Superintendent, Chattahoochee River
28 URBAN AGENDA

Urban Agenda Support Team

The Stewardship Institute (formerly the Conservation Study 

Institute) and the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance 

Program provided the organizing support for the followup to the 2012 Urban Caucus where the Urban Matters 

Community of Practice was initiated. These conversations 

became the foundational elements for the Urban Agenda. 

The team includes both NPS and partner organizations:

NPS Support

Michael Creasey, Director, Stewardship Institute

Rebecca Stanfi eld McCown, Program Manager, 

Stewardship Institute 

Robert Ratcliffe, Chief, Conservation & Outdoor Recreation

Steve Golden, Projects Manager, Conservation & 

Outdoor Recreation (retired)

Stephan Nofi eld, Program Manager, Conservation 

& Outdoor Recreation

Elle O’Casey, Project Specialist, Stewardship Institute 

& RTCA

NPS Urban Advisors

Brian Goeken, Chief, Technical Preservation Services

Wendy O’Sullivan, Associate Regional Director, 

National Capital Region

Martha Raymond, National Coordinator, 

National Heritage Areas

Partnership Support

Brent Mitchell, Senior Vice President, Stewardship, 

Quebec-Labrador Foundation

Hayley Mortimer, Vice President, Center for Park 

Management, National Parks Conservation Association

Chris Spence, Director, Institute at the Golden Gate

Rolf Diamant, Adjunct Professor, University of Vermont

Delia Clark, Facilitator, Confl uence Associates

Catherine Carlton, Program Manager, Institute at the 

Golden Gate

Stephanie Duncan, Consultant, Center for Park 

Management

Jesse Littlewood, Project Manager, EchoDitto - A Digital 

Strategy Firm 

National Park Service 

Urban Advisory Board

The committee will help the National Park Service explore 

policy and organizational changes to support developing 

a robust urban agenda. It will offer counsel on strategies to align more effectively its park, tax, and grant and 

technical assistance programs to serve urban communities, 

to forge new relationships, and to design and manage a 

select number of projects in urban areas to pilot these and 

other approaches to strengthen National Park Service urban 

connections and enhance the value the National Park Service 

brings to urban Americans. 

Belinda Faustinos, Chair

Loran Fraser, Senior Advisor to NPS Director

Carlos Alcazar, President and CEO of Hispanic 

Communications Network

Adrian Benepe, Senior VP/President and Director of City 

Park Development, The Trust for Public Land

Alvin Brown, Mayor, Jacksonville, Florida

Stephen Burrington, Executive Director, Groundwork USA

Mick Cornett, Mayor, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Dennis Frenchman, Professor, Urban Design and 

Planning, MIT

Catherine Nagel, Executive Director, City Parks Alliance

Melinda Pruett-Jones, Executive Director, 

American Ornithologists’ Union 

Kevin Shanley, CEO, SWA Landscape Architecture, 

Planning and Urban Design

Fritz Steiner, Dean, School of Architecture, 

University of Texas – Austin

Michael Suk, Chair, Orthopedic Surgery, 

Geisinger Health System

Stacey Triplett, Senior Managing Analyst, Metro 

(Portland, OR)

Jennifer Wolch, Dean, College of Environmental Design, 

UC Berkeley
URBAN AGENDA 29

Abbett, Chris 

Abbott, Sue

Ahern, Jane 

Anderson, Elizabeth 

Arato, Christine 

Arce, Mardi 

Arguelles, Dennis 

Ashwell, Jacqueline 

Auer, Michael 

Avrin, Dave 

Aylesworth, Howard 

Baca, Mauricia 

Bafumi, Stephen

Baker, Teresa

Banta, Diane 

Beasley, Carla 

Bennett, Brad 

Berry, K. Lynn 

Blake, Hannah 

Blevins, Erika 

Boch, Darren 

Bolasny, Paloma 

Bradley, Tom 

Brandyburg, Tyrone 

Briggs, Christina 

Brown, Megan 

Bryant, Jeff 

Canzanelli, Linda 

Cash, Cassius 

Cassetta, Brianne 

Chapman, Ann Marie 

Clemency, Louise 

Coleman, Steve

Colwell, Sheila 

Conway, Debbie 

Cook, Linda 

Cooper, Allen

Cox, Lisa

Cranfi eld, Charles 

Crossland, Leslie 

Crucet, Jackie 

David, Jim 

DeCramer, Carissa 

Dickerson, Veronica

Dillon, Constantine 

Dove, Anne 

Droge, Martha 

Dunn, BJ 

Durcan, Katie 

Dziembowska, Maria

Edelman, Karen 

Edwards, Jessica 

Efua Embil, Nana

Ellin, Phyllis 

English, Kelli 

Evans, Douglas 

Evenson, Rudy 

Ezeilo, Angelou 

Faustinos, Belinda 

Fellner, Kelly 

Ferro, Karyn 

Fields, Nigel 

Fisher, Chuck 

Floyd, Myron F.

Foley, LeAaron 

Fondriest, Elisabeth 

Fonseca de Borges, 

Julie 

Forte, Judy 

French, David 

Fye, YaAdam 

Fynn, Mike 

Gale, Michael 

Garrity, Lynn 

Ghazala, Ami 

Goodman, Barbara 

Haley, Jennifer 

Harris, Robyn 

Hatten, Lance

Hazelwood, Gayle 

Hennessy, Rita 

Hill, Carolyn 

Hodgin, Jo 

Holzapfel, Lisa 

Honious, Ann 

Houghton, Patricia 

Irland, Andrea 

Isbill, Julie 

Ivey, Lauren 

Jackson, Arlene 

Jenkins, Kathleen 

Jewiss, Jennifer 

Jimenez, Chantel 

Johnson, Ramon 

Johnston, Patrick 

Jones, Emily 

Joyner, Brian 

Justice, Bill 

Kanagy, Megan 

Keener, Marcia 

Keith, Diane 

Kenkel, Craig 

Kettering, Kahlil 

Kimball, Dan 

King, James 

Kish, Meghan 

Kolarova, Rada 

Krueger, Mary 

Kutruff, Julie 

Kuykendall, Kate 

Laird, Joshua 

Lais, Greg 

Land, George 

Lange, David 

Lawliss, Lucy 

Leatherman, Tom 

Levitt, Howard 

Lieu, Carina 

Light, Catherine 

Linde, Michael 

Linroth, Emily 

Little, Barbara 

Llewellyn, Joe 

Locke, Dexter 

Luchsinger, Dave 

Luxenberg, Gretchen 

Lynch, Joel 

Mach, Dawn 

Madalena, Stacy 

Mares, Frank 

Martin, Malisa 

Marts, Christina 

May, Peter 

McEntee, Patsy

McKinley, Ethan 

Mendelson, Lisa 

Messaros, Karen 

Milligan-Toffl er, Sarah 

Mohammadi, Aaron 

Monteleone, Simone 

Morlock, Leslie 

Morrison, Tara 

Moyer, Teresa 

Muhumuza, Theo 

Mummart, Jennifer 

Murray, Ray 

Neal, Linda 

Neighbor, Doug 

Nersesian, Jen 

Nguyen, Jeannie 

Nichols, Kathryn 

Niewold, Chris

Noojibail, Gopaul 

Nozik, Karen 

Nyberg, Katie 

O’Neill, Anne 

Obleschuk, Leslie

O’Connell, Jim

Okazaki, Lisa 

Oliveros, Lina 

Olson, Kerry 

O’Neill, Ricky 

Palmer, Stacy 

Pannell, Joe 

Pelstring, Lisa 

Pendleton, Jerry 

Perez, Ricardo 

Pittleman, Karen 

Points, Kenneth 

Pollarine, Barbara 

Pollio, Carol

Pridemore, Sue 

Puskar, Dan 

Quijano West, Michael 

Ragins, Alan 

Reidenbach, Dennis 

Reilly, Patty 

Reinbold, Jeff 

Reitsma, Jan 

Reynolds, Michael 

Rice, Barbara 

Richardson, Jim 

Riesenberger, Jodie 

Rivera Murdock, Estee 

Robinson, Noemi 

Robinson, Paula 

Roll, Kara

Romero, Alex 

Rose, Zenide 

Ross Winslow, Danielle 

Roth, Aaron 

Rowe, Bruce 

Rozdilski, Claire 

Sanders, Jess 

Sani, Deepka 

Santucci, Dave 

Saxton-Ross, Autumn 

Schaumburg, Le’alani 

Scotten, Heather 

Sculimbrene, Tony 

Shafer, Kim 

Sherwood, Krista 

Shiffer, Rebecca 

Sidles, Darla

Sims, Melissa 

Slade, Rick 

Slobodian, Michael 

Smith, Jennifer 

Smith, Lucy 

Smith, Morgan 

Snow, Susan 

Solorio, Antonio 

Speicher, Meredith 

Spellman, Oliver 

Stakely,Tracy 

Stancil, Beverly 

Staples, Necola 

Staroska, Jenny 

Stein, Chris 

Sternlieb, Joe 

Stone, Alex 

Stoughton, David 

Swift, Kimberly 

Szewczyk, Kimberly 

Talken-Spaulding, 

Kirsten 

Tardona, Daniel

Taylor, Sandy 

Tevyaw, Kathy 

Thompson, Jennifer 

Thomson, David 

Tjiattas, Martin 

Toothman, Stephanie 

Tornes, Angie 

Trickey, Spirit 

Turnbull, Alan 

Turner, Kevin 

Vaise, Vince 

Villalba, Fernando 

Vogel, Bob 

Wampler, Jennifer 

Waters, Corita 

Watts, Lizzie 

Webb, Joanna 

Weideman, Rich 

Weldon, Brianna 

Weller, Lark 

Wetter, Mike 

Wheatley, Margaret 

Whitesell, Steve 

Wiggins, David 

Willis, Jerry 

Wissinger, Gordon 

Wolins, Inez 

Woolsey, James 

Yocum, Joshua 

Yun, Daphne 

Zax, Leonard

Zeck, Adrian 

Urban Matters Community of Practice Participants
30 URBAN AGENDA

Business Case Fact Sources

Brownstein, Ronald. “The Next America.” National Journal, March 31, 2011 

City of New York Department of Parks & Recreation. “Hearing on the Mayor’s Fiscal 2013 Preliminary Budget & the Fiscal 

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Department of the Interior 

Kuo, Frances E. and William C. Sullivan. “Aggression and Violence in the Inner City: Effects of Environment via Mental 

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Kuo, Frances E. and William C. Sullivan. “Environment and crime in the inner city: Does vegetation reduce crime?” 

Environment & Behavior, May 2001 33(3): 343-367 

National Park Conservation Association 

National Park Service Public Use Statistics Offi ce 

National Park Service “Comprehensive Survey of the American Public,” 2008-2009 

National Park Service FY 2012 Greenbook 

Trust for Public Land “City Park Facts Report,” 2012

US Census Bureau

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Image Credits

Images may not be reproduced without permission, except those obtained under Creative Commons (CC). Even images credited

to the National Park Service may carry restrictions on usage.

Front Cover: Lowell Canalway, Cityscape, Statue of Liberty, and NPS Park Rangers (James Higgins). St. Louis Arch, Liberty Bell,

NOLA Horn Player, Golden Gate Bridge, and Martin Luther King Memorial Statue (Deposit Photos). Foreword: Golden Gate 

Bridge (Shutterstock); Carpenter’s Hall (Shutterstock). Introduction: Central Park (Shutterstock); Crafting the Urban Agenda Urban 

Matters (Paula Hansen); Washington Hike (NPS/Sue Abbott); African Burial Ground (FlickrCC/ Wally Gobetz); Lincoln Memorial 

(Shutterstock). National Park Service Urban Agenda: New York City ranger (NPS/Kevin Daley). Be relevant to all Americans: NPS 

Academy at the Statue of Liberty (NPS/Kelly Fellner); Loving it out on the water (Wilderness Inquiry/A.Wendlandt); Sojourn SaluteSchuylkill Philadelphia (NPS/Martha Raymond); St. Louis Arch (Shutterstock). Activate One NPS: Rosie’s Girls (NPS); Jamaica Bay

Marsh Islands (FlickrCC/Ildiko Reisenbigler); Lowell Canalway (NPS/James Higgins); NPS; Belle of Louisville (FlickrCC/Sean Davis); 

San Juan Capistrano (FlickrCC/RedTailPanther); Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP (NPS); Boyle Hotel (FlickrCC/The City Project); 

Journey Through Hallowed Ground, (© T. Lussier); Chicano park murals (FlickrCC/Teddeady); Wilderness Inquiry Canoemobile 

(E. Gotcher); Gas Works Park, (FlickrCC/Sea Turtle); Summer swim (FlickrCC/Chiot’s Run); Healthy Parks, Healthy People (NPS); 

Los Angeles from Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area (FlickrCC/Sam Gao). Modelling Collaboration: The Highline, (© Iwan 

Baan); Family day at the MLK Jr. Memorial (FlickrCC/Adam Fagen); Boston Harbor (Shutterstock); Capturing the memorial 

(FlickrCC/Adam Fagen). A Call for Collective Action: Seattle Skyline (Shutterstock); Looking back (FlickrCC/Pbkwee); 

Cat Mountain Ridge (FlickrCC/Charles Miles). Appendix: Great Marsh (NPS/Manuszak). 
32 URBAN AGENDA

The Urban Agenda is the product of a collaborative effort that emanated from the NPS Urban Caucus held in New 

York City in 2012. The National Park Service Stewardship Institute was asked to lead an effort that would engage 

a broad and diverse segment of the National Park Service and partners in defi ning the role of the NPS in urban 

areas and connect with urban residents on the mission of the National Park Service. The Institute is a small team 

with a large network, advancing learning through cultivating networks of inspired people. This report was developed by the Stewardship Institute in collaboration with the Quebec-Labrador Foundation|Atlantic Center for the 

Environment, Center for Park Management and the Institute at the Golden Gate. 

Learn more about Stewardship Institute by visiting us at www.nps.gov/stewardshipinstitute.

Learn more about the NPS Urban Agenda at www.nps.gov/urban
DEDICATED TO

PATTY WISSINGER

The National Park Service Urban Agenda is dedicated to the late Patty Wissinger. Patty was 

the Superintendent of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area during the development 

of the Urban Agenda and played a vital role as an “urban strategist.” Her years of experience 

as an exemplary national park manager and her passion for youth, diversity and innovation 

infl uenced the direction of both the engagement process and the strategies for this report. 

She was calm, wise and a spirited force in the urban agenda building process. We are very 

grateful for Patty’s expertise, her network of partners, her vision and her friendship. 
34 URBAN AGENDA