Creating the Best Regional Park System in the World

On March 14, Citistates Group chair Neal Peirce and Metro Council president David Bragdon will discuss the importance of strategic regional planning, especially in developing parks and urban green infrastructure.

Peirce will discuss how “citistates” – or metropolitan regions – can position themselves to cope with the demanding environmental, economic and social challenges of the 21st century – and especially how they can harness civic forces to promote livability and sustainability.

Bragdon will discuss the metropolitan region’s Connecting Green initiative, designed to open new parks, complete the region’s trail network, and restore thousands of acres of natural areas and park land. Bragdon also will describe how local governments, environmental organizations, business leaders and health providers are forming the Connecting Green Alliance to implement the vision of “creating the best regional park system in the world.”

A syndicated columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group and founder and contributing editor of the National Journal, Peirce is a leading expert on the political and economic dynamics of metropolitan regions. Now in his second term as Metro Council president, Bragdon previously worked in private sector transportation and international marketing as well as serving as marine marketing manager at the Port of Portland.