Parks that Care: Green Public Spaces for Fairer Cities

Urban parks are essential public spaces for city life, especially in promoting people’s physical and mental health. They offer direct contact with nature and provide environments for gathering, leisure, and sports. They also play a fundamental role in preserving natural elements within cities, contributing to the connection and consolidation of biodiversity while offering vital ecosystem services and assuming a key environmental function in urban areas. On the other hand, green public spaces must also fulfill a social function of care — not only toward green and blue environments but also toward all people, especially those in situations of vulnerability. Expanding mechanisms for inclusion, fostering shared governance, and developing public policies that place care at the heart of urban planning are essential steps. The central theme of this event is how to encourage the appropriation of these spaces by everyone — especially children, women, older adults, persons with disabilities, and caregivers. This roundtable discussion will showcase how the Viva o Verde SP initiative has incorporated gender perspectives, the participation of children and adolescents, and the care for vulnerable groups — with contributions from women who are part of UN-Habitat in São Paulo, the Municipal Secretariat for Green and Environment, and the Civil Society Reference Group that accompanies the project.