I knew nothing about The Trust for Public Land (TPL) until I served on the Historic Preservation Commission in a small town in northeastern Georgia about ten years ago.  While our mission was established by state law as a guardian of historic buildings and neighborhoods, TPL sent our commission a complimentary subscription to its biannual publication “Land and People.”

We strongly supported the concept of “adaptive reuse,” the refurbishing of older buildings for purposes other than those for which they were designed as an alternative to tearing them down. Our awareness of the positive ways these buildings remain viable and fit into the community was fueled by TPL’s ideas for the viable use of the land around them.

The purpose of TPL appears as follows on its mission page:

“Quality parks and green spaces are fundamental for sustaining equitable, resilient communities. Access to nature and the outdoors—close to home, in the cities and communities where people live—is a matter of health, equity, and justice. That’s why we work alongside communities across the country to create, protect, and steward the nature-rich places that are vital to human well-being.

“We’re driven by four commitments: equity, health, climate, and community.”

As they say, they work “to connect everyone to the joys and benefits of the outdoors.”

The publication brings news of their stories, as they call them, places across the country where the land’s use has been restored and/or transformed to benefit a community, including:

• Addressing climate change with schoolyards.
• The creation of a waterfront park in San Francisco’s India Basin.
• Preserving and supporting African American Heritage in Orlando’s South Street Casino and Wells’Built Hotel.
• Planting more trees in urban neighborhoods

These stories show what can be done and provide ideas for communities seeking examples of what they can do to connect people and the land.

—Malcolm