This is the fourth entry in the Families in Neighborhoods blog series. The series offers commentaries that explore efforts underway in Detroit, to reimagine neighborhoods as places of opportunity for children and families.

To strengthen Detroit’s neighborhoods, it is critical to address quality of life, residential segregation and social capital—key indicators of upward mobility for children and families. Inclusive, equitable public spaces comprise our “civic commons,” where residents from different racial, socioeconomic and generational backgrounds come together to build community. These public spaces strengthen social capital in neighborhoods and build civic connectivity between families.

Over the past decade, the City of Detroit has invested significantly in its parks, providing improved spaces for play, sports, events and neighborhood gatherings. To ensure that those parks serve their communities, many neighborhood groups provide inclusive, accessible programming that is intentional about who it’s designed for, how it accommodates a diversity of interests, and how to bridge racial, socioeconomic and generational divides.

The Detroit Parks Coalition (DPC), an alliance of parks leaders and community members working to support healthy, equitable and vibrant parks in Detroit, facilitates park programming alongside Detroit’s park stewardship organizations. In partnership with the City of Detroit, the Detroit Pistons, the State of Michigan, and foundations like The William Davidson Foundation, The Ralph C. Wilson Foundation and Kresge, the Detroit Parks Coalition operates and supports spring, summer and fall programming at parks throughout the city.

In this edition of Families in Neighborhoods, we’re highlighting the role of public spaces and parks programming to strengthen child- and family-centered neighborhoods, and Detroit Parks Coalition’s role in supporting these efforts.

Q: Can you share a quick overview of how DPC came about and what you do today?

A: The Detroit Parks Coalition is an alliance of parks leaders and community members working together to support healthy, equitable and vibrant parks in Detroit. Our Coalition formed in 2010 to advocate for Detroit parks facing closure due to lack of city resources. Today, we serve as a hub for city officials and community representatives to work together, supporting programming and capital improvements in Detroit’s parks and providing resources for community organizations that care for our parks across the city.

Q: How is Detroit Parks Coalition supporting summer programming at parks and public spaces in Detroit’s neighborhoods?

A: DPC provides programming in parks citywide and supports neighborhood-based organizations in programming their respective parks.

We work with citywide partners like the Detroit Pistons and the Detroit Public Library to connect their outreach programming to neighborhood parks, positioning park stewardship organizations as hosts that connect the programming to their neighborhoods and communities. From these partnerships came the Pistons Neighbors Program and the Detroit Public Library’s mobile library in the parks, providing access to youth sports, recreation and literacy in 15 parks across the city this summer.

We also support park stewards directly by managing the Adopt a Park program in partnership with the city. This year, 79 park organizations are participating in the program. Adopt a Park resources include regranting, a tool and program supplies lending library and regular convenings that allow stewards to learn from each other and connect to resources with the City of Detroit. This year, we offered three programming regrant opportunities, distributing $324,500 in program support to parks organizations in partnership with the Kresge Foundation, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and Detroit Pistons Foundation.

Q: Why is public space activation so important, for both major regional parks and neighborhood parks?

A: It’s one thing to have a great park in your neighborhood—and it’s another thing entirely to be connected to the space and the community that uses it. Park programming invites individuals and families to frequent their local green spaces, increasing their feelings of familiarity, safety, and belonging in their park and bringing a host of other benefits like time spent in nature, opportunities for recreation and increased social connections to people in their community. It’s also fun! We strongly believe that active, high-quality parks are one of the keys to quality of life in the city.

Q: Who is participating in this year’s programming? What are some examples of the programming they offer in Detroit’s neighborhoods?

A: This year, DPC will be supporting programming in over 30 parks citywide. Programming will take place in neighborhood and regional parks across all city council districts.

Kresge-supported sites include Eliza Howell Park, Ella Fitzgerald Park, Palmer Park, Women of Banglatown Home Base Park, Chandler Park, Bailey Park, 360 Park, Saint Hedwigs Park, Clark Park and Rouge Park, and stands in addition to programs offered through the Detroit Pistons Neighbors program, and programs funded through Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS), which provides Detroiters with access to a range of summer programs and activities from sports to yoga and from healthy eating to performing arts programs in parks.

Kresge-funded programming ranges from eco artist residencies to community meetings, basketball tournaments, backpack giveaways and movies in the park. All of the programming is free, drop in and open to all.

Q: How can public space programming also provide opportunities for inclusion across residents with a diversity of identities and backgrounds? What more can we do to ensure public spaces are truly inclusive?

A: Parks are our common grounds—where people from all backgrounds, identities and abilities can recognize their similarities over their differences, experience nature and celebrate life together. Every day, we see our parks used for recreation, relaxation, family celebration and community gathering—often all at the same time.

At DPC, we believe in doing everything we can to ensure that our parks and their programming reflect their neighborhoods. We know that systemic disinvestment over time has led to racial inequities in access to park spaces for residents, and are committed to distributing resources equitably and uplifting resident voice in the design and activation of our parks. This means getting residents and neighbors involved in the design of park amenities, developing programming that is responsive to community needs and interests, and working the closest with the people who use the park on everyday issues.

Q: How can families access programming and learn more about what is available in their neighborhoods?

A: DPC keeps a calendar of citywide parks programming on our website: www.detroitparkscoalition.com.

New this summer, we’ve also published a Pocket Guide to Detroit’s Parks, which features park prompts for our regional parks and a detailed appendix of amenities in all of Detroit’s over 300 parks. Check them out, get involved in your local stewardship group, and we’ll see you in the parks!

See what’s happening in parks around Detroit: https://www.detroitparkscoalition.com/events.

For walking, biking, and running events citywide, visit the Detroit Greenways Coalition.

Jonathan Hui is a senior program officer supporting Kresge’s Detroit Program and Sigal Hemy Spiegel is executive director of the Detroit Parks Coalition. 

Learn more about the Families in Neighborhoods series:

• Introducing ‘Families in Neighborhoods’: A new series focused on family-centered neighborhoods in Detroit
• Mobility trends of families with children and the role of public schools in Detroit’s neighborhoods
• Helping children thrive: Community of practice links local programs supporting kids and families from birth to career
• Family-friendly policies can help keep people in Michigan and create economic opportunity