Through thoughtful planning and restoration efforts, parks can help heal degraded land, meeting multiple community needs, improving soil quality, restoring native vegetation, and creating habitats for wildlife.

The creation of new parks represents a powerful way to regenerate both the land and the communities that inhabit it. By restoring damaged landscapes, providing valuable green spaces, and fostering environmental education and awareness, parks can play a significant role in healing the land and building more sustainable and resilient communities.
As park planner Clement Lau explains in this article, creating new parks, especially in areas scarred by industrialization, urbanization, and/or environmental degradation, can serve as a transformative force, regenerating both the land and the communities that surround it. He highlights Los Angeles County's efforts to implement the recommendations of the Parks Needs Assessment Plus (PNA+) which reimagines conservation through an equity lens to include both the protection of natural lands and the restoration of degraded lands, especially in lower-income communities of color where vulnerable populations and environmental burdens are concentrated.
Parks are not just spaces of leisure and recreation, but are also sanctuaries of nature’s resilience and human hope. Former industrial sites, landfills, and other damaged areas can be transformed into vibrant green spaces, teeming with biodiversity. Through thoughtful planning and restoration efforts, these parks can help heal the land, meeting a variety of community needs, improving soil quality, restoring native vegetation, and creating habitats for wildlife. This regeneration not only improves the aesthetics of the area, but also contributes to the health of the ecosystem and mitigates environmental damage.
FULL STORY: The Healing Power of Parks: Regenerating Landscapes and Communities

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power
The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing
Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply
New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?
Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas
The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.
City of Madera
City of Santa Clarita
Borough of Carlisle
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Colorado Energy Office
Pima County Community College District
City of Piedmont, CA
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