Rail parks have the power to change communities, for better and sometimes for worse. They tend to boost the real estate value of neighboring buildings. They connect people to nature. But these transformations of old, abandoned infrastructure have also caused severe neighborhood gentrification and displacement in some cities.
Join us to discuss how linear and rail parks across the country can be used as community-controlled public spaces that promote neighborhood connection and access to alternative forms of mobility. Speakers will also discuss how these parks have contributed to displacement and efforts to stop it.
Speakers:
Rebecca Chan is the executive director of Friends of the Rail Park, a Philadelphia nonprofit transforming historic rail infrastructure into a three-mile greenway. Previously at LISC, she has a background in placemaking, economic development and cultural strategy. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Illinois.
L. Anton Seals Jr. is co-founder and lead steward of Grow Greater Englewood, advancing urban agriculture, environmental justice and equitable community development. A Chicago organizer, entrepreneur, educator and strategist, he works to build resilient local food systems and preserve Black communities.
Vaughn Perry serves as Director of Equity and Sustainability at Douglass Community Land Trust (Douglass CLT), a nonprofit membership organization committed to advancing racial and economic equity. The Trust works to prevent displacement, create community-held assets, and build generational wealth for individuals and families while ensuring that decision-making power remains rooted in the community.
Moderator:
Mehvish Jamal helps communities bring their visions for more equitable and resilient places to life through her consulting practice, studio: re. Across her career, she's worked with nearly a dozen communities nationwide to ensure that residents who have faced historic disinvestment can shape and benefit from place-based investments in their cities. Her experience includes working with the 11th Street Bridge Park to advance equitable development and community preservation strategies as part of an effort to transform an old highway bridge into a linear park in Washington, D.C. Mehvish holds a Master's in Urban Planning from Harvard University.
