Funding Public Parks in Tough Times: An Innovation Agenda

City Parks and Libraries as Anchor Institutions
This presentation focuses on the role that parks and libraries play as contributors to broader urban policy objectives. How do libraries and parks affect and leverage the quality of life, sustainability, and economic growth in the city?  In a period of fiscal austerity, what are the appropriate roles for the public sector, the private sector and the scope for partnerships in both the funding and management of these spaces? This session aimed to understand the current challenges in funding and governing city spaces, both in Toronto and elsewhere in North America, and also to explore innovative practices in tax and partnership models.