Friends of the Parks inspires, equips, and mobilizes
a diverse Chicago to ensure an equitable
park system for a healthy Chicago.
a diverse Chicago to ensure an equitable
park system for a healthy Chicago.
Thursday, October 28: Reimagining the Ways We Build Power for Park Advocacy:
A Collaborative Workshop with Chicago United for Equity's People's Policy School
Friday, October 29: Reimagining DuSable Park: A Design Studio Led by IIT Students
to Inform an Updated Park Framework Plan
Friday, November 12: Reimagining our Relationship with the Lakefront:
What's it to you? A Collaborative Conversation Kick-Off with Preservation Chicago
Saturday, November 13 - Reimagining FOTP's Last 4 Miles Initiative in Current Context - a panel in the "Deep Dive: Great Lakes" series in collaboration with the Chicago Humanities Festival and the UIC Freshwater Lab
A Collaborative Workshop with Chicago United for Equity's People's Policy School
Friday, October 29: Reimagining DuSable Park: A Design Studio Led by IIT Students
to Inform an Updated Park Framework Plan
Friday, November 12: Reimagining our Relationship with the Lakefront:
What's it to you? A Collaborative Conversation Kick-Off with Preservation Chicago
Saturday, November 13 - Reimagining FOTP's Last 4 Miles Initiative in Current Context - a panel in the "Deep Dive: Great Lakes" series in collaboration with the Chicago Humanities Festival and the UIC Freshwater Lab
2023 municipal candidate survey
For Chicago's 2023 municipal elections, Friends of the Parks sent a questionnaire to all candidates running for mayor and alderperson. We are a non-partisan organization. We don’t endorse candidates. But we did want to use this opportunity to both educate the mayoral and alderperson candidates about park issues and give them a chance to communicate whether and how they plan to promote healthy parks for a healthy Chicago.
To see who had replied as of February 3rd, visit this page. Candidate Responses
Although the deadline by which we asked candidates to respond has past, we will continue to accept and post the surveys to our website.
We invite you to continue amplifying these questionnaires!
You can contribute to the cause by:
Please email us if you are working with a PAC or community group to share the questionnaire with candidates so we can track its use. Click here for more information and pdfs of the surveys to share
To see who had replied as of February 3rd, visit this page. Candidate Responses
Although the deadline by which we asked candidates to respond has past, we will continue to accept and post the surveys to our website.
We invite you to continue amplifying these questionnaires!
You can contribute to the cause by:
- asking candidates to complete the questionnaire;
- bringing up items from the questionnaire at candidate forums;
- informing us of forums happening in your ward;
- getting your PAC or a community group to send out a questionnaire to candidates in your ward;
- having your PAC host a forum with candidates and raise up park issues;
- sharing the materials with other folks you know.
Please email us if you are working with a PAC or community group to share the questionnaire with candidates so we can track its use. Click here for more information and pdfs of the surveys to share
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In the fall of 2023, unauthorized construction began on a new building in Humboldt Park, as part of an expansion to the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. Click here for Executive Director Juanita Irizarry's December 14, 2022 letter to the Chicago Park District. Click here for reflections on the messiness of democracy.
Click here for in-depth piece published in the Chicago Reader Jan. 11, 2023. "Juanita Irizarry delivered a gut punch of a speech at the December 14 meeting of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners. You could say she hit it out of the park. That’s hard to pull off when you’ve only got two minutes to make your case. But Irizarry, speaking as executive director of Friends of the Parks, also spoke from the heart. In the scant time allotted members of the public to comment, she took a clearly painful stand. . . "
Click here for in-depth piece published in the Chicago Reader Jan. 11, 2023. "Juanita Irizarry delivered a gut punch of a speech at the December 14 meeting of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners. You could say she hit it out of the park. That’s hard to pull off when you’ve only got two minutes to make your case. But Irizarry, speaking as executive director of Friends of the Parks, also spoke from the heart. In the scant time allotted members of the public to comment, she took a clearly painful stand. . . "
Our Response to Building Construction in Humboldt Park
Show it Off to the World
Register here for the 2020 Parks as Democracy? What’s in a Name Luncheon and Conference
SHOP PARK PHOTOS TODAY
Photography provided by FOTP board member and lifestyle photographer, Charlie Billups
Please follow us on Facebook for news on our latest projects, media hits, and the issues we are tackling.
Friends of the Parks will be hosting Wellness Walks at Marquette Park
throughout September and October.
throughout September and October.
Deadline to submit a nomination is Monday, September 27 at 11:59pm
RULE NUMBER ONE
Our 6th Annual Parks as Democracy? Luncheon and Conference is December 9 and 10, noon to 2pm! Registration for this FREE, ONLINE event is quick and easy: 2022 PAD? Registration.
For more information, click here. We hope you will join us in "Looking Back to Look Forward in a Landmark Year"!
For more information, click here. We hope you will join us in "Looking Back to Look Forward in a Landmark Year"!
now accepting nominations:
2021 vip (volunteers-in-parks) awards
We submitted comments to the U.S Army Corps of Engineers in response to their recent comments claiming that the Confined Disposal Facility in the 10th Ward should be expanded - instead of turned into a park! We disagree, and you might too. Take a look at our comments and submit your own!
The Go Anywhere Mug
Due to the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases, we are urging our friends to tune in to the
August 21 DuSable Commemoration and Wreathing Ceremony virtually.
You can either do this via our Facebook page and tune into the live stream. Or we have a virtual Zoom presentation with a panel discussion that will be available simultaneously at 11am. Click here for more details and an event itinerary.
Click the buttons below to access the FB Live or the Zoom presentation.
August 21 DuSable Commemoration and Wreathing Ceremony virtually.
You can either do this via our Facebook page and tune into the live stream. Or we have a virtual Zoom presentation with a panel discussion that will be available simultaneously at 11am. Click here for more details and an event itinerary.
Click the buttons below to access the FB Live or the Zoom presentation.
Your contributions to support our mission are greatly appreciated by all residents of Chicago who enjoy local parks and open spaces!