Trust for Public Land
The Trust for Public Land works to protect the places people care about and to create close-to-home parks—particularly in and near cities, where 80 percent of Americans live. A primary goal is to ensure that every child has easy access to a safe place to play in nature. The Trust for Public Land also conserves working farms, ranches, and forests; lands of historical and cultural importance; rivers, streams, coasts, and watersheds; and other special places where people can experience nature close at hand. The Trust for Public Land helps communities raise funds, conduct research and planning, acquire and protect land, and design and renovate parks, playgrounds, trails, and gardens.
Through the Climate-Smart Cities program, The Trust for Public Land helps cities use parks and natural lands as “green infrastructure” serving four objectives:
- Connect: Trails and transit lines provide carbon-free transportation and link residents to popular destinations and each other.
- Cool: Shady green spaces reduce the urban “heat island” effect, protect people from heat waves, and reduce summer energy use.
- Absorb: Water-smart parks, playgrounds, and green alleys absorb rainfall, reduce flooding, and recharge drinking water supplies while saving energy for water management.
- Protect: Shoreline parks and natural lands buffer cities from rising seas, coastal storms, and flooding.
Examples of Climate-Smart Cities include Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle. Within its research library, The Trust for Public Land further highlights the role of conservation in climate adaptation.
Phone: (415) 495-4014
Sectors:
Related Resources:
- Trust for Public Land Climate-Smart Cities Program
- Climate Smart Cities: Decision support tools for climate change planning
- New Orleans Climate-Smart Cities Decision-Support/Mapping Tool
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