Bridging What Divides Us
Strategies for bringing diverse people together through parks and recreation
By Bridget Marquis
Photos: Courtesy of Memphis River Parks
Memphis, Tenn., is a city starkly divided by race and income, with a high poverty rate and few public spaces to be shared by people of different backgrounds. In 2016, a group of public and nonprofit partners decided to intentionally design, manage, and operate public spaces that would welcome people of all races, incomes, and backgrounds.
This collaboration has resulted in the transformation of a six-block area that contains a library, a trail, and two riverfront parks adjacent to downtown Memphis and along the Mississippi River. This area became the Fourth Bluff, a series of connected, vibrant, and dynamic civic spaces. One of the spaces was originally an uninspired, underused park along the Mississippi River named after Jefferson Davis (president of the Confederacy), but became the city’s River Garden.
Redesigned and reopened in late 2018, River Garden in a short time has become a go-to place in downtown Memphis. With the addition of a dining and events pavilion, all-ages play and adventure structure, natural meadow plantings, fire pits, a snack shack, swings, hammocks, tables, and differently scaled conversation spaces, it is successfully attracting more people than ever, with average visitor numbers up more than 300 percent since the transformation. Visitor intercept surveys demonstrate that the intention to attract diverse visitors is working: park users hail from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds and a geography of more than 40 different regional ZIP codes.
The Power Of Socioeconomic Mixing
Amidst the devastating losses and trauma caused by the pandemic, one of the core lessons for those of us creating and managing public spaces is our work is more critical than ever before. Parks, libraries, community centers, and recreation facilities are important—not only because they are popular—but also because they hold the power to bring communities together in ways that bridge divides.
Americans are increasingly polarized, segregated and isolated from one another, while economic inequality is increasing. These trends negatively impact our health and well-being and the prosperity of communities. Yet parks and recreation facilities can engage in socioeconomic mixing, a technical term for a simple yet powerful idea for bringing together people across race, income, geography, and belief.
The power of socioeconomic mixing has been demonstrated in multiple studies. A Harvard researcher found that “time spent face-to-face with people from different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds engenders more trust, generosity, and cooperation than any other sort of interaction.” In cities, suburbs, and small towns, Americans who live near public spaces like parks and libraries are happier with their neighborhoods and more trusting of others; other studies show that the web of casual, public interactions we have with others are as important to our well-being as family and close friends are.
The economic benefits of living in mixed-income and diverse neighborhoods are also clear. A study tracked millions of young Americans over three decades and found that children from low-income families who grew up in mixed-income neighborhoods—with lower rates of racial and economic segregation—had greater economic mobility later in life.
Strategies To Implement
Because they are free or low cost, public spaces like parks are uniquely positioned to provide the opportunity for nurturing greater tolerance and an appreciation for diversity. But this only happens if public spaces are intentionally designed, staffed, and programmed to deliver socioeconomic mixing.
Innovative public space managers, advocates, and community leaders (like those in Memphis) are demonstrating some clear strategies that can foster this mixing:
Hold a high standard for civic assets with a focus on quality. High-quality design, programming, and top-notch maintenance are necessary for public spaces to regularly attract people of all backgrounds. Parks and recreation centers that are unimaginatively designed, lack interesting programming, or are not well-maintained are unlikely to deliver socioeconomic mixing.
Create connections across neighborhoods. Often, the focus of each park and recreation center is to serve people from a single, nearby neighborhood. Yet the pervasive nature of today’s economic and social segregation—with neighborhoods of concentrated poverty or concentrated affluence—makes it difficult to achieve socioeconomic mixing by focusing on only one neighborhood. Parks and community centers must intentionally implement strategies to attract residents from different neighborhoods.
For instance, when siting new facilities, parks and recreation staff should consider locations that can be easily reached by residents from multiple neighborhoods with different socioeconomic profiles. Rather than cookie-cutter parks and community centers scattered across a community, staff can co-create distinctive assets and programs in partnership with residents, bolstering community pride along with a broader sense of welcome. Staff should extend regular invitations to visit parks or partake in programs to nearby residents and the larger community.
Design for a variety of experiences in one place. When public spaces appeal to different patrons for different reasons, there is greater long-term potential for connection between people of diverse backgrounds. A variety of interesting experiences in public space works will attract visitors of all ages, races and backgrounds, and encourages both repeat visits and repeated interaction.
Each public space should not be everything to everyone, but rather the design and operation of each site should promote multiple, complementary uses. For example, clustering different elements in close proximity to one another (like the snack shack, adventure structure, and events pavilion in Memphis’ River Garden) encourages interactions among visitors who may otherwise not have an opportunity to meet.
Go beyond events. Programming can facilitate interactions between people of all ages and backgrounds through shared experiences, and while large events can offer instances for socioeconomic mixing, a more lasting impact may come from programs that offer simple “everyday moments” for people to encounter one another. Something as simple as a daily walking club, a weekly yoga class, a semi-monthly public market day, or even watching the sunset as a community can help create connections.
Scheduling multiple programs on a specific day of the week can also create additional chances for interactions among visitors with different interests. And, when residents and community organizations work with parks staff to co-create regular programs, even a small budget can deliver a diversity of events.
Welcome everyone. Staffing plays a critical role in creating an inclusive atmosphere. Hiring staff members who reflect the diversity of the community is an important first step, and an indicator of welcoming visitors of different backgrounds.
And while you and your staff may not consider yourselves as being in the hospitality business, you actually are. Parks and recreation spaces host many people each and every day, and how visitors are treated impacts their experience and a desire to return. Staff can act as ambassadors, where they greet and engage with every visitor; this makes a big difference in how welcoming your space feels. This intentional and welcoming staffing approach can help visitors understand and tolerate differences and, if necessary, help resolve conflicts in ways that do not require law enforcement.
In Memphis’ River Garden, park maintenance staff have been refashioned as park rangers, with responsibilities that include greeting every visitor in addition to daily maintenance. Rangers—who reflect the diversity of Memphis—ask visitors how staff can improve the park experience, run programming, and discuss nearby events and attractions. With increased responsibilities, park rangers receive higher wages, and new positions have been created to provide a clear path for advancement to supervisory roles, improving job satisfaction.
Adopt outcomes and then measure. Many of the metrics that parks and recreation managers and staff work towards are tactical, such as acres of grass mowed, increased facility use, or building a larger base of volunteers. While these tactical goals are important, adopting socioeconomic mixing as an overall goal can encourage the creation of new strategies for parks and recreation facilities that explicitly consider how design, programming, and staffing work together to welcome a diverse mix of people. Once socioeconomic mixing is adopted as an outcome, you can gather data and report on the successes, improving upon the work each year. (More information on using measurement and outcomes is available here at the Reimagining the Civic Commons website.)
Over the last two years, we have all seen the vital importance of connecting public spaces to the mental and physical well-being of communities’ residents. Now it’s time to take the next step: design, manage, and operate facilities to bridge the divides between us, creating places where everyone truly belongs.
Bridget Marquis is the Director of the Reimagining the Civic Commons Learning Network, a national effort to transform shared civic assets to foster engagement, equity, environmental sustainability and economic development in cities across the country. You can connect with Reimagining the Civic Commons on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.