Ralph Wilson Conservancy

The west side of Buffalo is the most culturally and racially diverse section of the city. It’s home to growing populations of Latino, Korean, and Somali-Bantu immigrants, yet there are few opportunities for immigrant and US-born neighbors to engage with one another.

The renovation of Ralph Wilson Park—a 100-acre, $110 million project on the West Side—was an opportunity to promote a sense of belonging and ownership among neighbors. Over 1,000 Buffalo community members were engaged in designing the new park. To ensure the entire community had a voice, the Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy worked with immigrant organizations to prioritize representation.

During the design process, advisory members met quarterly and participated in other engagement events, seeking community feedback on the park’s construction. To facilitate connections across differences within meetings, the Conservancy developed small groups that included cross-identity feedback discussions and activities. Looking ahead to the reopening of the park, the Conservancy established a volunteer community advisory board to shape how the park is programmed when it reopens, in support of uniting the diverse communities that call the area home.

The board prioritized connecting with park users to understand what was important to future park users, while keeping local residents informed about the construction progress. Interested in activating 30-acres of the park as a testing ground for future community-wide events, the Conservancy decided to host a WinterFest. Despite it being the coldest day of the year, neighbors and volunteers alike showed up and had a lot of fun.

Volunteers and community advisory councils, such as those participating with the Conservancy, are crucial in developing park programming and activities that cater to the needs and desires of those served by local parks. And when parks have the amenities that local residents want, parks attract more users. The Conservancy’s engagement methods demonstrate how high-quality community engagement doesn’t just make for great parks, it creates a virtuous feedback loop for park use and civic engagement.