Five Urban Park Visionaries

The following interviews were conducted as part of a series designed to celebrate park visionaries and share inspiring and practical insights into their perspectives, challenges, and advice. Follow the series to learn from developers, planners, and other leaders creating innovative parks.

Envisioning Inclusion: How Scott Kratz Transformed Bold Community Voices into the 11th Street Bridge Park, May 25, 2022

Scott Kratz is the senior vice president of Building Bridges Across the River (Building Bridges) and director of the 11th Street Bridge Project, Building Bridge’s largest project to date. Building Bridges and the Washington, D.C., city government are transforming an old freeway bridge into a park above the Anacostia River.
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Envisioning Park Quality for All: How Happy Haynes Is Transforming Neglected Parks into Community Assets, July 1, 2022

Allegra “Happy” Haynes is the current executive director of the Denver Department of Parks and Recreation. Appointed to this position in 2016, she has also been on the Denver Board of Education and has served as a member of the Denver City Council, both for over a decade.
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Envisioning Equity: How Corey Wilson Leveraged a Park System for Community Benefits, September 6, 2022

Corey Wilson is superintendent of the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC). He oversees the more than 170 parks in the system, which includes an observatory, a nature center, an equestrian park, a zoo, a performing arts theater, an arboretum, and more.
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Envisioning a “City in Nature”: How Kartini Omar and Singapore’s National Parks Board Is Creating Green Oases at Density, September 23, 2022

Kartini Omar is group director of parks development and Jurong Lake Gardens at the National Parks Board of Singapore (NParks). Her work involves the development of parks and green corridors across Singapore.
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Envisioning Connectivity in a Post-Conflict City: Callie Persic Works to Create a More Accessible, Safe, and Vibrant Belfast, October 7, 2022

Callie Persic is a development manager with the Belfast City Council, leading Belfast’s Connectivity Programme and city center project, “A Bolder Vision for Belfast.”
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