Paula Z. Segal will be part of a conversation on opportunities for urban land conservation at the 2016 Land Preservation Rally in Trenton, New Jersey, facilitated by Isles, with Olin Studios (Philadelphia) and the Greater Newark Conservancy. The Greater Newark Conservancy facilitates community gardens on vacant public land. Last year, when the City of Newark held a Valentine’s Day land sale, several active garden sites were sold to private individuals without the knowledge of the Conservancy or the gardeners. The sites are sadly lost, but the need for tools that connect municipal plans with the land stewards continues to be acute.

More info about the Rally: http://www.njconservation.org/conservationrally.htm

Here is a description of the panel: Urban Land Conservation: Small Lots, Big Impact

Land conservation is often pursued with the idea that bigger is better – that the greatest impact can be achieved by preserving the biggest properties available. But in urban areas, the strategic conservation of small properties can have big impacts. We will discuss why conservation of urban lands is important and what organizations are doing to highlight the value urban lands for the broad range of benefits they can provide to communities. We will hear from organizations working on the ground to inventory and publicize data about vacant land, advocate for public access to urban lands, turn vacant land into community assets for the short and long term, utilize urban lands as tools to meet community needs, and to conduct research into how urban lands perform to the benefit of the cities of where they are located. Presenters will discuss examples from Trenton, Newark, Philadelphia, and New York, as well as nationwide trends. The goal of this session is to inspire people to think small in terms of lot size, but to think big in terms of impact when it comes to conservation of urban lands.

Facilitator: Julia Taylor (Isles)
Presenters: Cristina Garmendia (Isles), Michael Miller (Olin Studios), Justin Allen (Greater Newark Conservancy), Paula Segal (596 Acres)