02 Nov Lessons From Copenhagen
By Scott Kratz, Senior Vice President, Building Bridges Across the River. Director, 11th Street Bridge Park.
This blog post was first published in the 11th Streets Bridge Park blog.
Last week, I had the honor of joining a delegation of parks, municipal leaders and funders to Copenhagen to learn about innovative approaches to city building that can enrich public life. This four-day tour was led by 8 80 Cities, a Toronto-based nonprofit whose goal is to ignite action and challenge the status quo to create healthier, more equitable, and sustainable cities for all people. Many thanks to the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation for supporting a passionate group working hard to realize civic spaces in Detroit and Buffalo. I was one of two park “experts” on the trip, along with the incredible Carol Coletta, who recently opened the new Tom Lee Park in Memphis. The parks delegation included representatives from the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Joe Louis Greenway and a new 100+-acre waterfront park on the shoreline of Lake Erie. I thought it helpful to share lessons learned that we incorporate in the States from what many consider a model city for walking, biking, transit and people-centered design.
