Press Releases

Mayor’s Office of Communications
55 Trinity Avenue, Suite 2500 • Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Mayor Andre Dickens Joins the Mayors for Parks Coalition

ATLANTA—Mayor Andre Dickens has joined the Mayors for Parks Coalition, a coalition managed by City Parks Alliance. Created in 2013, the bipartisan coalition includes mayors from large and small cities across the country who advocate for increased federal funding for our nation’s urban parks. The Coalition is co-chaired by Fort Worth, Texas Mayor Mattie Parker and Denver, Colorado Mayor Michael B. Hancock.

The Coalition advocates for increased funding of the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP)—a program funded through the Land & Water Conservation Fund. The ORLP is a national competitive grant program that delivers funding to urban areas with priority given to projects located in underserved communities. These awards help urban communities create new outdoor recreation spaces and renovate existing ones in an equitable manner.

“Historic disinvestment has left many underserved communities with limited options for quality parks and recreation opportunities, or park assets in need of significant upgrades,” said Mayor Dickens. “Our parks and greenspaces provide a wide range of health and environmental benefits, so I look forward to working with City Parks Alliance to leverage every resource possible to address these inequities.”

“Mayor Dickens knows the critical role that parks play in improving the health and vitality of Atlanta and we are thrilled to have him join our Mayors for Parks Coalition,” said Catherine Nagel, City Parks Alliance’s Executive Director. 

Supported by the Mayors for Parks Coalition, the Great American Outdoors Act was signed into law in 2020. The law provides $900 million in permanent and dedicated annual funding for the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The LWCF has supported more than 44,000 projects in 98% of the nation’s counties.

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