PodParks

In this episode of PodParks, we are joined by Hamish Coates, Principal Designer at the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust in Melbourne, Australia.

Hamish shares a perspective on parks and public space that is often overlooked, the design of cemeteries as places for reflection, culture, and community. Drawing on his experience as a landscape architect working across complex and sensitive environments, he explores how these spaces serve not only as places of remembrance, but as important pieces of public open space.

The conversation challenges traditional ideas of what parks are, and invites listeners to think about cemeteries as “parks in disguise.” Hamish reflects on how these landscapes can support wellbeing, provide green space in urban areas, and respond to the diverse cultural practices of the communities they serve.

Alongside this, the episode explores the role of design in navigating sensitive subject matter. Hamish shares how his work requires a balance of technical expertise, cultural awareness, and empathy, particularly when designing spaces that hold deep personal and collective meaning.

This is a thoughtful and slightly unexpected conversation that expands the definition of public space, encouraging professionals to think more broadly about how landscapes can support people through all stages of life.

Check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrP2dpDAlx8

Highlights include:

• Cemeteries as public space:
• Cemeteries function as important open spaces, offering quiet, reflective environments within urban areas.
• “Parks in disguise”:
• These landscapes often provide similar benefits to parks, including access to nature, wellbeing, and community connection.
• Designing with sensitivity:
• Working in cemetery design requires empathy, cultural understanding, and respect for diverse traditions and practices.
• Cultural diversity in design:
• Cemeteries must respond to a wide range of cultural and religious needs, shaping how space is planned and used.
• Balancing function and emotion:
• Design decisions must meet practical requirements while also supporting grief, memory, and reflection.
• The role of landscape architecture:
• From master planning to delivery, the work spans strategy, design, and project management across complex sites.
• Reframing uncomfortable topics:
• Designing for death encourages professionals to think differently about life, community, and the role of public space.
• Creating meaningful places:
• These spaces aim to provide comfort, dignity, and a sense of belonging for diverse communities.

Featured Guests

Hamish Coates

Principal Designer

Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, Melbourne, Australia

🔗LinkedIn

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About PodParks

PodParks is the official podcast of World Urban Parks. In each episode shares real stories and bold ideas from the people making parks, public space, and urban nature more inclusive, innovative, and essential.

🎙️ Meet the PodParks Team

Maria Burnett | Luis Romahn | Vitoria Martín Delgado | Vladimir Yañez Huehpa| Cynthia Hernández Martínez| Gisselle Ibarias | Brizel Lopez

🌐 worldurbanparks.org

📱 Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter/X

In this episode of PodParks, we are joined by Erika Nikolai, Executive Director of Park People, a national Canadian charity working to activate and strengthen urban parks through community partnerships.

Erika shares how Park People represents a different way of working in parks, sitting between communities and local government to help unlock the full potential of public space. Through grants, programs, and advocacy, the organisation supports grassroots groups to shape, care for, and activate their local parks, creating spaces that are more responsive to the people who use them.

The conversation explores the idea of parks as social infrastructure, places that do more than provide access to nature. Erika reflects on how parks can reduce social isolation, build relationships between neighbours, and strengthen communities, particularly in diverse and growing cities where connection can be harder to find .

Alongside this, the episode highlights the power of community-led action. Erika shares the story of the Thorncliffe Park Women’s Committee, where local leadership led to culturally relevant programming and infrastructure, demonstrating how parks can evolve when communities are supported to take ownership .

The discussion also unpacks the role of non-profits in the parks sector, from securing funding and building partnerships to advocating for the value of parks across political systems. Erika emphasises the importance of making it easier for communities to participate, not just in the design of parks, but in how they are used and cared for over time.

This is an insightful and practical conversation that challenges traditional models of park delivery, and highlights the role of non-profits in building more connected, resilient, and community-led park systems.

Highlights include:

• A different way to work in parks: Park People operates between communities and government, supporting collaboration rather than delivering parks alone.
• Parks as social infrastructure: Parks help reduce social isolation and build relationships, strengthening community resilience.
• Unlocking community energy: When communities are supported, they bring ideas, ownership, and long-term care to their local parks.
• From consultation to participation: Community involvement should extend beyond design into ongoing use, programming, and stewardship.
• The power of partnerships: Non-profits play a key role in connecting municipalities, communities, and funding partners.
• Measuring what matters:Success includes connection, belonging, and stewardship, not just participation numbers.
• Advocacy across political systems: Parks are often common ground, making them a powerful platform for cross-political support.
• Urban parks as everyday nature: As cities grow, access to nearby nature becomes essential for wellbeing and quality of life.
• A story of impact: The Thorncliffe Park Women’s Committee shows how culturally relevant ideas and local leadership can transform a park and its community.

Featured Guests

Erika Nikolai

Executive Director, Park People

Greater Toronto Area, Canada

🔗LinkedIn

Feedback

🎧 Give feedback on this episode here.

About PodParks

PodParks is the official podcast of World Urban Parks. In each episode we share real stories and bold ideas from the people making parks, public space, and urban nature more inclusive, innovative, and essential.

🎙️ Meet the PodParks Team

Maria Burnett | Luis Romahn | Vitoria Martín Delgado | Vladimir Yañez Huehpa| Cynthia Hernández Martínez| Gisselle Ibarias | Brizel Lopez

🌐 worldurbanparks.org

📱 Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter/X

Parks for a Nation: Partnerships, Play, and Purpose with Beo Raven Bensurto

In this episode of PodParks, we are joined by Beo Raven Bensurto, Park Operations Superintendent at the National Parks Development Committee, to explore how partnerships can unlock the full potential of parks for communities.

Drawing on his work across national park systems, Beo shares how public–private collaboration is helping deliver parks that go beyond recreation, supporting environmental education, climate resilience, and child development through play. At the centre of the conversation is his concept of “PARKnerships,” where collaboration becomes a driving force for more inclusive, responsive, and impactful public spaces.

The discussion highlights how parks can act as platforms for learning and connection, particularly for younger generations. Beo reflects on the role of play in child development, and how thoughtfully designed environments can support curiosity, creativity, and long-term wellbeing.

Alongside this, the episode explores how partnerships can strengthen park systems, bringing together government, communities, and private organisations to share resources, knowledge, and responsibility. Beo emphasises that strong relationships are key to delivering outcomes that are both meaningful and sustainable over time.

This is an inspiring and practical conversation that reframes parks as essential infrastructure for education, resilience, and community wellbeing, driven by collaboration and shared purpose.

Highlights include:

• PARKnerships in action:
• Public–private collaboration can unlock new opportunities for funding, innovation, and long-term stewardship of parks.
• Parks as learning environments:
• Parks play a critical role in environmental education, helping people understand and connect with the natural world.
• The importance of play:
• Play is essential for child development, supporting creativity, social connection, and physical wellbeing.
• Climate resilience through parks:
• Well-designed parks can contribute to climate adaptation, supporting ecosystems and helping communities respond to environmental challenges.
• Shared responsibility:
• Strong park systems rely on collaboration between government, private sector, and communities.
• Designing for community impact:
• Parks should respond to the needs of local people, creating spaces that are inclusive, accessible, and meaningful.
• From infrastructure to experience:
• Parks are not just spaces to maintain, but places that shape how people learn, connect, and experience their environment.
• Building long-term value:
• Partnerships help ensure parks are not only delivered, but sustained and evolved over time.

Featured Guests

Beo Raven Bensurto

Park Operations Superintendent

National Parks Development Committee

🔗LinkedIn

Feedback

🎧 Give feedback on this episode here.

About PodParks

PodParks is the official podcast of World Urban Parks. Hosted by Maria Burnett, each episode shares real stories and bold ideas from the people making parks, public space, and urban nature more inclusive, innovative, and essential.

🎙️ Meet the PodParks Team

Maria Burnett | Luis Romahn | Vitoria Martín Delgado | Cynthia Hernández Martínez| Gisselle Ibarias | Brizel Lopez

🌐 worldurbanparks.org

📱 Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter/X

In this episode of PodParks, we are joined by Ceylan Belek Ombregt, a registered landscape architect practicing across the United Kingdom, United States, and Turkey, and Studio Lead at Martha Schwartz Partners.

With over twenty years of international experience, Ceylan brings a deeply global perspective to landscape architecture. Her work spans diverse cultural, political, and environmental contexts, shaping an approach that is flexible, highly contextual, and grounded in listening.

The conversation explores how working globally challenges designers to move beyond fixed styles and instead respond to the specific needs of place and people. Ceylan shares how every project is shaped by its wider context, from social and political influences to ecological systems, and why understanding these connections is essential to creating meaningful public space .

Alongside this, the episode dives into leadership in design practice, with Ceylan describing leadership not as control, but as creating space for others, encouraging ideas, and guiding collaborative processes. She reflects on the importance of negotiation, education, and persistence when working with clients, particularly when advocating for environmental outcomes.

A standout moment in the conversation is Ceylan’s reflection on the Mill River Park and Greenway project, an ecological restoration project that transformed a degraded urban river into a vibrant public space. Through this project, she highlights the power of collaboration, community engagement, and long-term thinking in delivering meaningful change .

This is a thoughtful and globally grounded conversation that encourages professionals to think more deeply about context, collaboration, and the role of landscape architecture in shaping better cities.

Highlights include:

• Designing without a fixed style:
• Each project responds to its specific context, culture, and community, rather than applying a single design language.
• The value of global perspective:
• Working across countries reveals common challenges and shared opportunities, while also highlighting the importance of local response.
• Context goes beyond the site:
• Projects are shaped by wider social, political, ecological, and economic systems, not just their physical boundaries .
• Leadership as facilitation:
• Strong leadership is about listening, creating space for ideas, and enabling collaboration rather than directing outcomes.
• Negotiation and advocacy in practice:
• Designers must often balance competing priorities, advocating for environmental and social outcomes while working within client constraints.
• The importance of asking questions:
• Challenging assumptions and asking “why” and “what if” leads to more innovative and meaningful design solutions.
• Learning across disciplines:
• A broad education, from ecology to design to business, supports better decision-making and allows designers to operate across scales.
• Collaboration in city-making:
• Delivering successful projects requires alignment between designers, clients, communities, and decision-makers.
• A defining project:
• The Mill River Park and Greenway project demonstrates how ecological restoration, community engagement, and design can transform both place and people .

Featured Guests

Ceylan Belek Ombregt

Studio Lead, Martha Schwartz Partners

Registered Landscape Architect (UK, US, Turkey)

Researcher and Lecturer with over 20 years of international experience

🔗LinkedIn

Feedback

🎧 Give feedback on this episode here.

About PodParks

PodParks is the official podcast of World Urban Parks. In each episode we share real stories and bold ideas from the people making parks, public space, and urban nature more inclusive, innovative, and essential.

🎙️ Meet the PodParks Team

Maria Burnett | Luis Romahn | Vitoria Martín Delgado | Vladimir Yañez Huehpa| Cynthia Hernández Martínez| Gisselle Ibarias | Brizel Lopez

🌐 worldurbanparks.org

📱 Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter/X

In this episode of PodParks, we are joined by Pawel Gradowski, a landscape architect with over 40 years of experience across Europe, Canada, and South Africa, and the founding director of LASquare, specializing in aquatic landscapes and water-sensitive design.

Pawel shares a career shaped not just by design, but by building, learning, and constantly questioning how things work. From starting a landscaping company in Canada after his qualifications were not initially recognized, to developing deep technical expertise in water systems, his journey reflects a commitment to understanding both the art and science of landscape architecture .

The conversation explores water as far more than a visual feature. Pawel explains how water connects ecology, engineering, and human experience, from the physics of flow and velocity through to the psychological impact of water in public space. He shares how early failures in water feature design led him to reverse-engineer systems, study fluid dynamics, and ultimately develop his own methods for designing water features that actually work in practice .

Alongside this, the episode dives into the global challenge of water use. Pawel highlights how cities rely heavily on water systems that are often hidden, and how most water consumption is driven not by daily use, but by agriculture and industry. This raises important questions about responsibility, sustainability, and how landscape architects can design systems that use water more intelligently .

The conversation also touches on the role of water in urban environments, from cooling cities and improving air quality to supporting biodiversity. Pawel emphasizes that well-designed water features can play a meaningful role in supporting wildlife, particularly in dense urban areas where access to water is limited.

This is a fascinating and deeply practical conversation that challenges professionals to think more critically about water, not just as a design element, but as a resource, a responsibility, and a fundamental part of life.

Highlights include:

• From design to construction thinking:
• Building what he designed gave Pawel a practical understanding that continues to shape his approach to landscape architecture.
• Learning through failure:
• An early water feature project that did not perform as expected led to years of self-directed learning and technical development.
• The science behind water features:
• Understanding flow, velocity, and system design is essential to creating water features that are both functional and visually effective.
• Water as a fundamental resource:
• Water is central to all life, yet most consumption is driven by agriculture and industry rather than everyday use.
• Urban water challenges:
• Cities rely on hidden water systems, often removing natural water from the landscape and reducing access for both people and wildlife.
• Designing for wildlife:
• Water features can provide critical habitat and access to water, but must be designed safely to avoid harm to animals.
• Psychological and environmental benefits:
• Water cools, cleans, and calms urban environments, improving both environmental quality and human wellbeing.
• Rethinking “waste”:
• When designed well, water features can support stormwater management, reuse systems, and broader environmental outcomes.
• Blending art, engineering, and ecology:
• Successful water design requires balancing aesthetics with technical precision and environmental responsibility.

Featured Guests

Pawel M. Gradowski

Landscape Architect | Founding Director, LASquare

Based in Johannesburg, South Africa

🔗LinkedIn

Feedback

🎧 Give feedback on this episode here.

About PodParks

PodParks is the official podcast of World Urban Parks. Hosted by Maria Burnett, each episode shares real stories and bold ideas from the people making parks, public space, and urban nature more inclusive, innovative, and essential.

🎙️ Meet the PodParks Team

Maria Burnett | Luis Romahn | Vitoria Martín Delgado | Vladimir Yañez Huehpa| Cynthia Hernández Martínez| Gisselle Ibarias | Brizel Lopez

🌐 worldurbanparks.org

📱 Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter/X

In this episode of PodParks, we are joined by Dr Fritz Lord and Erik Kaiser to explore how evolving practice, land use, and data-informed decision-making are shaping the future of parks and recreation.

Together, they unpack how parks systems are becoming more complex and more essential, responding to growing populations, changing expectations, and increasing pressure on land and resources. Drawing on their experience across planning, management, and research, the conversation highlights the importance of thinking long-term while still delivering practical, on-the-ground outcomes.

The discussion explores how digital tools and data are being used to better understand park use, inform investment decisions, and improve the management of assets over time. Rather than focusing on technology for its own sake, the conversation centers on how these tools can support clearer thinking, better prioritization, and more effective outcomes for communities.

Golf courses are used as a lens to examine broader land use questions, including how large-scale recreational spaces can adapt over time to better serve communities, environmental outcomes, and changing participation trends.

Alongside this, the episode reflects on what “better practice” really means in today’s context, moving beyond traditional approaches to embrace adaptability, collaboration, and continuous learning.

This is a practical and forward-looking conversation that encourages parks professionals to think critically about how they plan, manage, and evolve public spaces in a rapidly changing world.

Highlights include:

• Parks under pressure:
• As cities grow and land becomes more constrained, parks systems must respond to increasing demand while balancing competing priorities.
• Data-informed decision-making:
• Better use of data is helping parks teams understand how spaces are used, prioritize investment, and manage assets more effectively over time.
• Rethinking large-scale land uses:
• Spaces like golf courses present opportunities to reconsider how land is used, ensuring it delivers broader community and environmental value over time.
• Maintenance matters:
• Long-term stewardship is just as important as initial design, with ongoing care and management playing a critical role in the success of parks.
• Better practice is evolving:
• There is no single model for success. Good practice today requires flexibility, responsiveness, and a willingness to adapt to changing conditions.
• Balancing competing needs:
• Parks professionals must navigate tensions between development, recreation, conservation, and community expectations.
• The importance of long-term thinking:
• Planning for decades ahead is essential to ensure cities remain livable and connected, particularly as populations continue to grow.
• Learning from different contexts:
• Global perspectives and shared experiences help inform better outcomes locally, even when systems and governance structures differ.

Featured Guests

Dr Fritz Lord, Global Crop Manager at COMPO EXPERT

🔗LinkedIn

Erik Kaiser, Co-founder/CEO/Managing DIrector of SUMMETIX

🔗LinkedIn

Feedback

🎧 Give feedback on this episode here.

About PodParks

PodParks is the official podcast of World Urban Parks. Each episode shares real stories and bold ideas from the people making parks, public space, and urban nature more inclusive, innovative, and essential.

🎙️ Meet the PodParks Team

Maria Burnett | Luis Romahn | Vitoria Martín Delgado | Vladimir Yañez Huehpa| Cynthia Hernández Martínez| Gisselle Ibarias | Brizel Lopez

🌐 worldurbanparks.org

📱 Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter/X

In this episode of PodParks, Maria Burnett is joined by Emanuel Trueb, Head of City Gardens and Cemeteries for the City of Basel, Switzerland, and former President of the International Federation of Parks and Recreation Administration (IPFRA).

With more than three decades leading Basel’s green spaces, Emanuel shares insights into how one of Europe’s most nature-connected cities plans, manages, and values its parks, cemeteries, and urban landscapes. From transforming former infrastructure into vibrant public spaces to embedding biodiversity within the city, his work reflects a long-term commitment to creating livable, green environments for all.

The conversation explores how Switzerland’s decentralized political system shapes decision-making, with responsibilities shared across municipal and canton levels. Emanuel explains how this structure influences everything from park management to nature conservation, and why strong local governance plays a critical role in delivering quality public space.

Alongside this, Emanuel reflects on the evolution of global parks leadership, including his time as the final President of IPFRA and the transition to what is now World Urban Parks. He shares why the shift was necessary, what it aimed to achieve, and the ongoing challenge of maintaining relevance and connection across a global network.

This is a thoughtful and grounded conversation that highlights the importance of long-term thinking, strong governance, and the often-overlooked role of maintenance in shaping successful parks systems.

Highlights include:

• A city shaped by green space:
• Basel’s approach to parks integrates biodiversity, recreation, and everyday access to nature, with green space becoming increasingly important as cities grow .
• Parks, cemeteries, and green systems as one:
• Rather than separate functions, cemeteries, allotments, and parks are understood as part of a connected green network serving the public.
• The importance of maintenance:
• Long-term care and stewardship are critical, often more important than initial design or construction in determining the success of a park .
• Planning for growth and density:
• As urban populations increase, cities must provide more accessible green space, particularly for those without private gardens .
• Switzerland’s political structure:
• A decentralized system means decisions are made at multiple levels, with municipalities and cantons sharing responsibility for parks and environmental outcomes .
• Balancing competing interests:
• Protecting green space often requires ongoing advocacy within political systems, particularly as cities face pressure to develop land.
• From IPFRA to World Urban Parks:
• Emanuel reflects on the transition from IPFRA to World Urban Parks, and the need to evolve global organizations to remain relevant and inclusive.
• The value of global perspective:
• Learning from other cities and countries strengthens local practice, even when systems and contexts differ.
• Connecting people to nature:
• Access to public green space is fundamental to community wellbeing, particularly for those without private outdoor space.

Featured Guests

Emanuel Trueb

🔗LinkedIn

Feedback

🎧 Give feedback on this episode here.

About PodParks

PodParks is the official podcast of World Urban Parks. Each episode shares real stories and bold ideas from the people making parks, public space, and urban nature more inclusive, innovative, and essential.

🎙️ Meet the PodParks Team

Maria Burnett | Luis Romahn | Vitoria Martín Delgado | Vladimir Yañez Huehpa| Cynthia Hernández Martínez| Gisselle Ibarias | Brizel Lopez

🌐 worldurbanparks.org

📱 Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter/X

In this episode of PodParks, our host speaks with Jenny Moodley, spokesperson for Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo and Co-Chair of the World Urban Parks Africa Region. With more than two decades of experience in local government, advocacy, media, and intergovernmental relations, Jenny offers a powerful perspective on the role of parks in addressing inequality, strengthening communities, and shaping more sustainable cities.

The conversation explores Johannesburg’s legacy of spatial imbalance, the city’s ongoing effort to bridge the green divide, and the realities of managing over 2,000 parks, cemeteries, conservation spaces, and the zoo in one of Africa’s most dynamic urban centers. Jenny reflects on tree equity, environmental education, safety perceptions, informal use of parks, and why cities must think more creatively about the future of public green space.

Recorded during the World Urban Parks Symposium in Istanbul, this episode also looks outward—toward the future of the Africa Region within WUP, the importance of regional collaboration, and the opportunity to amplify African leadership, solutions, and innovation within the global parks movement.

• Bridging the Green Divide: Jenny shares how Johannesburg is working to address long-standing inequalities in tree canopy and green space distribution across the city.
• A city shaped by disparity: The episode explores how apartheid-era spatial patterns continue to influence access to parks, trees, and public services today.
• Greening as education and empowerment: From school programs to fruit tree distribution and Arbor Month campaigns, Jenny emphasizes the importance of environmental education and civic ownership.
• Parks are deeply social spaces: Issues such as vandalism, litter, displaced persons, informal use, and safety perceptions all reflect wider social and economic realities—not just park management problems.
• Africa has solutions to share: Jenny highlights the need to make African innovation more visible within the global parks movement and to create stronger platforms for knowledge exchange across the continent.
• Regional collaboration is essential: Through her role as Co-Chair of the Africa Region, Jenny speaks about building stronger networks, hosting regional conversations, and creating opportunities for African cities to learn from one another.
• Hope matters: One of Jenny’s strongest messages is that many of the challenges cities face are shared globally—and that solutions become more possible when practitioners come together with energy, honesty, and purpose.
• Youth and community voices are key to the future: Jenny makes the case for involving young people, local communities, and emerging professionals in shaping the next generation of parks leadership.

🎙️ Meet the PodParks Team

Maria Burnett | Luis Romahn | Vitoria Martin | Cynthia Hernández | Gisselle Ibarias | Brizel Lopez

🌐 worldurbanparks.org

In this episode of PodParks, host Maria Burnett speaks with Gavin White, Director of Planning and Projects at RiverLife in Pittsburgh, about the power of urban parks to shape more resilient, connected, and people-centered cities. With a background that spans film set design, community engagement, and public space development, Gavin brings a thoughtful and multidisciplinary perspective to the future of parks and riverfronts.

The conversation explores Gavin’s role in transforming Pittsburgh’s riverfronts through connectivity, ecological restoration, play, and public engagement. It also dives into his work with the World Urban Parks Climate Change and Resilience Committee, where he has helped build a framework for understanding how urban parks contribute to climate adaptation, public education, mobility, stormwater management, and long-term resilience.

From flood-sensitive park design in China and the Netherlands to community engagement strategies in Pittsburgh, this episode offers practical insight into how parks can respond to the climate crisis while remaining welcoming, democratic, and deeply rooted in the needs of local communities.

• A nonlinear path into parks: Gavin shares how he moved from film set design into public space work, driven by a desire for more meaningful, lasting, and sustainable impact.
• Why urban parks matter in climate action: Through the World Urban Parks Climate Change and Resilience Committee, Gavin has helped frame how parks contribute to climate adaptation, education, mobility, and mitigation.
• From broad ideas to measurable action: The conversation highlights how climate discussions in parks have evolved—from general awareness to more detailed modeling, case studies, and evidence-based design solutions.
• Water is central to urban resilience: Gavin reflects on the importance of blue space, riverfront planning, and designing parks that can work with water rather than against it.
• Flooding can be part of the design: Examples from Turenscape, the Netherlands, and FDR Park in Philadelphia show how parks can be intentionally designed to absorb flooding and strengthen city resilience.
• Community engagement takes time—and it matters: Gavin explains why meaningful participation cannot be rushed, and why listening to people early and often is essential to building parks that truly belong to their communities.
• Young professionals should start by observing: His advice for the next generation is simple but powerful: spend time in parks, listen, watch, and understand how people move through and experience these spaces.
• There’s a place for everyone in parks: Whether through planning, volunteering, ecology, activation, or play, Gavin reminds us that almost any skill or interest can contribute to building better public spaces.

PodParks is the official podcast of World Urban Parks. Hosted by Maria Burnett, each episode shares real stories and bold ideas from the people making parks, public space, and urban nature more inclusive, innovative, and essential.

🎙️ Meet the PodParks Team

Maria Burnett | Luis Romahn | Vitoria Martin | Cynthia Hernández | Gisselle Ibarias | Brizel Lopez

🌐 worldurbanparks.org

In this episode of PodParks, our host speaks with Zina Abdulla, a PhD researcher in architecture and urban design at the University of Bath, whose work explores equitable access to urban green spaces across the UK and Poland. With a background spanning architecture, environmental design, and policy, Zina brings a powerful perspective on how cultural, social, and economic barriers shape who feels welcome in parks—and who does not.

Together, they unpack why accessibility cannot be measured by distance alone. From fear of dogs and antisocial behavior to the lack of activities for teenage girls, culturally relevant events, and the importance of listening to non-users, this conversation reveals how many barriers to park access remain invisible in traditional planning approaches. Zina also shares personal reflections on how access to outdoor recreation differs between the UK and Iraq, highlighting how culture, climate, gender norms, and urban form all influence people’s relationship with green space.

This is a thoughtful and practical episode for anyone working in parks, planning, public space, health, or community engagement—and a reminder that inclusive design begins by understanding who a park truly serves.

• Accessibility is more than proximity: Zina explains why measuring access in meters or walking time is not enough to understand who actually uses parks.
• Non-users matter: One of the biggest lessons from her research is that park planning must include the voices of people who rarely or never use green spaces—not only current park users.
• Unexpected barriers are real barriers: In her three-year study, one of the most significant barriers that emerged was the presence of dogs, especially off-leash dogs, along with safety concerns, antisocial behavior, and lack of welcome for group gatherings.
• Context matters: What affects park use in the UK may be completely different in Poland, Iraq, or elsewhere. Inclusive design depends on understanding local demographics, culture, and lived experience.
• Representation in planning is essential: Zina advocates for co-design, partnerships with community organizations, and bottom-up strategies to better integrate underrepresented voices into park and green infrastructure planning.
• Parks and health are deeply connected: Access to green space affects physical activity, mental health, and everyday wellbeing—especially for communities who may already face structural disadvantages.
• One positive intervention can make a difference: Small but intentional changes—such as dog-free hours, more inclusive programming, or better engagement with local demographics—can significantly improve how safe and welcome people feel in parks.

PodParks is the official podcast of World Urban Parks. Hosted by Maria Burnett, each episode shares real stories and bold ideas from the people making parks, public space, and urban nature more inclusive, innovative, and essential.

🎙️ Meet the PodParks Team

Maria Burnett | Luis Romahn | Vitoria Martin | Cynthia Hernández | Gisselle Ibarias | Brizel Lopez

🌐 worldurbanparks.org