Building a Green, Sustainable Parkland Plaza is bringing partners and community together to realize a long-held community vision of a green, active, engaging civic space that will support and bolster a thriving community.

The Parkland Plaza is completely unique, as it was designed entirely by the residents of Parkland. However, the process in which the project developed is replicable by any group interested in completing work to simultaneously increase social equity and environmental sustainability while improving communities. Through a community survey, community meetings, canvassing, and engaging volunteers and residents, the project team conducted deep community engagement work to ensure that the project continued to reflect the neighborhood’s vision. These strategies can be replicated by anyone who is interested in deep community engagement.

Having direct conversations about how collaboration will achieve equitable outcomes for those served helps the team stay focused on honest, accountable, and purpose-driven work. Additionally, deferring significant decisions to community members and frontline organizations that represent community interests supports long-term viability and acceptance within the community.