The National League Cities (NLC) in partnership with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) selected Grand Rapids, Los Angeles and Orlando to run pilot initiatives using organized tennis instruction to promote children’s physical activity while developing social-emotional skills that will last through their lifetimes. Under the pilot program, these cities will incorporate quality tennis instruction
Summer in the City – that’s the name we’ve given to the robust summer camp program operated by the City of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Nestled within the vibrant hub of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, Gaithersburg is an ethnically and culturally diverse community of just over 70,000 people. We know that over the summer, many students
By Laura Huffman, regional director of The Nature Conservancy in Texas Cities are on the front lines of climate change and have committed to meeting the goals of the Paris climate agreement even as the Trump Administration has declared its intentions to withdraw. The administration is now finalizing that decision, and while disappointing, it also underscores the
This is a guest blog by D.C. Department of Transportation Director Jeff Marootian and Bridge Park Director Scott Kratz. The 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington, D.C.—a planned repurposing of the retired 11th Street Bridge across the Anacostia River between the East of the River neighborhoods and Capitol Hill into a vibrant city park—will connect
Parks and open space are an ongoing priority in Jersey City, New Jersey. We understand the value that parks bring to a city, its economy and, most importantly, its residents. What we didn’t fully realize was that by integrating park priorities with other key city priorities, such as youth development, stormwater management, and Vision Zero,
This is a guest post written by Michael Anthony Nutter, former mayor of Philadelphia. The Fairmount Park system is one of Philadelphia’s greatest assets, with more than 11,000 acres of greenspace spread across nearly every area of the city. It is a mecca for big events and a refuge for small moments of quiet. Fairmount
“With access to nature, we have real racial disparity in our city. If you are a middle-class kid, your parents or scout troop are making sure you have positive outdoor experiences. This is not the case for a kid struggling with not having enough food and the trauma of everyday life,” said St. Louis Mayor
Whether you are a municipal leader thinking of ways to solve city challenges or looking to support existing youth programs, look no further. NLC’s partners at the Wallace Foundation have put together a Summer Learning Toolkit that local leaders can share with program providers to develop and strengthen high-quality summer learning programs. Cities play a
This is a guest post by Alejandra Pallais, who provides communications support to the Children and Nature Network (C&NN). City leaders interested in getting more young people outdoors and connected to nature can now apply to the 2019 Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) Leadership Academy in Denver. The Leadership Academy is a fully subsidized
Three years ago, the first Detroit Outdoors campers in Scout Hollow admired a pair of Red Tail Hawk parents feeding their chick nestled in a huge nest perched in a tall Sycamore Tree. The hawks’ vantage point gave them a commanding view of the 5-acre meadow and Detroit’s only campground, which had been unused for
