Greater & Greener 2019: Exploring Natural Connections successfully showcased Denver’s one-of-a-kind park system and the innovative solutions being developed to face the city’s unique challenges. Attendees representing 218 different cities, 40 U.S. states and 13 countries enjoyed conference tours and mobile workshops that took attendees to Denver’s most beloved and scenic spots—from Summit Lake and Red Rocks, to the restored Platte River, historic City Beautiful parks and beyond.

The Mile High City’s commitment to recreation, open space and green infrastructure was evident.

The conference, presented by City Parks Alliance, took place July 20-24, 2019. Urban Greening and Biodiversity was a key theme throughout the week, emphasizing the relationship between parks and quality of life, economic benefits and environmental resilience, along with the role of parks and city-building.

The experiences offered during this international conference fostered honest dialogue around social equity, cross-agency and cross-sector partnerships, funding models, and replicable solutions for parks around the world.

Denver was chosen as the 2020 host city because of the success of its urban parks system.

Many companies from Colorado and beyond supported the conference and/or participated in the weekend tours and mobile workshops. City and County of Denver offers special thanks to:

• Atkins – Silver Sponsor
• ECI Site Construction Management – Bronze Sponsor
• PCL Construction – Park Sponsor and tour assistant for Paco Sanchez Park Tour
• Colorado Total Maintenance (CTM) – Site for Volunteer Service Day at St. Charles
• Kiewit – Globeville Landing Park tour
• Iron Woman Construction and Environmental Services LLC– La Lomita Park and RiNo Park tours
• Brightview – Stapleton tour

Additional conference supporters included Denver Water, Denver Parks Foundation, and the Greenway Foundations. A full list of sponsors can be found at www.greatergreener.org.