1 of 28

All Hands for�New Haven Parks!�Strategic Plan

2 of 28

Welcome

3 of 28

All Hands On Deck!

New Haven Parks Department must lead the way when it comes to the upkeep, maintenance, and activation of our parks.

We also need your help. Parks are a shared responsibility, and we need active participation from the public and partner organizations to be successful.

We need to do everything we can to show that care for our parks is a community-wide effort.

We need to expand engagement opportunities for the public. Even small every day actions have big impacts in our parks.

We need to leverage the capacity of our partners to bring creativity and the capacity to do more with our parks.

4 of 28

All Hands Strategic Plan Vision

“Our vision is to foster a culture of public stewardship and collaboration to create a vibrant park system that is open and accessible for all.”

5 of 28

Goals

  • Provide greater transparency about our operations
  • NH Parks needs to be a better teacher and a better communicator
  • Improve accessibility and program access
  • Expand partnerships to maximize our resources
  • Increase public participation in stewardship efforts
  • Be a catalyst for sustainability efforts in the city

6 of 28

���“A strength of New Haven’s park system is that 96% of its residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.”

7 of 28

8 of 28

9 of 28

10 of 28

11 of 28

Parks Re-envisioning 2023-2024

354 community survey respondents

40+ focus group participants

50+ attendees of final community forum

12 of 28

13 of 28

14 of 28

15 of 28

16 of 28

Other Processes

  • Trust for Public Land Park Equity Accelerator Program (January 2024-January 2025)
  • Urban Forest Master Plan (January 2025-January 2026)
  • Lighthouse Point Park Master Plan (January 2025-January 2026)

17 of 28

Strategic Planning Timeline �

October 2025:

Begin public outreach

April 2026:

Compile results and review feedback

May 2026:

Submit draft plan to Park Commission for review

June 2026:

Park Commission votes on approval of the plan

July 2026:

Plan is enacted at start of new fiscal year

18 of 28

Our Park System Today

19 of 28

East Central

20 of 28

East Shore

21 of 28

Hill Edgewood

22 of 28

Westside

23 of 28

Organizational Structure: Operations

24 of 28

Organizational Structure: Planning & Administration

25 of 28

Budget Overview and Benchmarks

26 of 28

Other Departments

Department

Design +Maintenance +Use

Public

Park Quality

27 of 28

Emerging Priorities

  • Developing programming for early childhood and teenagers
  • Restoring sports fields
  • Adapting Parks and Park operations to for climate resilience
  • Reactivating historic structures and spaces

28 of 28

Special Initiatives

  • Farmington Canal Trail—A Park for Newhallville
    • Template for City Greenways
  • Unifying New Haven’s Waterfront & Developing a Waterfront Identity for the City