World Urban Parks Award 2024

Individual and Organizational Awards:

Since 2015, World Urban Parks (WUP) encourages and recognises significant contributions made by individuals and since 2024, Organisations to the urban parks, open space and recreation sector with the Individual and Organisation Awards.

Let’s explore the outstanding individuals and organizations recognized this year for raising the standard of excellence in park management and development:

Distinguished Individual Award 2024:

The Distinguished Individual Award recognises any individual associated with the parks, open space and recreation sectors.

Chris Rutherford, from New Zealand, is a recipient of the World Urban Parks Distinguished

• Chris Rutherford has had a long history of involvement with World Urban Parks and its precedent organisation, IFPRA (since 1996) during his career. Deputy Chairperson of World Urban Parks from 2018- 2021 and previously was the IFPRA Chair Person of the Asia Pacific region (2008 – 2015) and the Chairperson (2015-2018) and has served on many industry bodies including the Recreation Aotearoa Board, National Asset Management Steering Group (NAMS) and the Parks and Recreation Asset Management Steering Group (PRAMS). He has been the driving force behind the international benchmarking system – YardStick.

Ryu Ono, from Japan, is a recipient of the World Urban Parks Distinguished Individual Award for 2024

• Ryu Ono graduated in 1985 with a degree in chemical oceanography, after which he became a field engineer for oil field development for the United Arab Emirates. His next 7 years was spent in Japan as a project manager for planning and finance for development of a cemetery. From 1997 to 2003, he examined park management methods for local government. Since 2013, Ryu has been the founder and board member of Park and Health Network, Japan and since 2012, he has been the Director of World Urban Parks Japan. He has worked tireless with international bodies such as WHO to advocate the importance of urban green spaces in contributing to health and wellbeing. He was responsible for enabling a range of international symposium on parks and health since 2015. He has encouraged young and/or talented people to participate in WUP activities. He also led AP Region as Co-Chair between 2021 – 2023 and has dedicated to strengthen relationship between not only Asia but other parts of the world and Japan.

Leading Organisational Award 2024:

The Leading Organisation Award recognises any park organisation associated with the parks, open space and recreation sectors.

Parks Victoria, from Australia, is a recipient of the World Urban Parks Leading Organisational Award for 2024

• Parks Victoria has been closely linked with World Urban Parks and its predecessor, IFPRA, since 1996, actively participating in various roles, including board membership and co-chairing the Advocacy Portfolio. The organization has hosted the World Urban Parks Congress in Melbourne in 1998 and 2018 and played a key role in the transition from IFPRA to WUP. As a leader in promoting the benefits of parks, Parks Victoria has shared its Healthy Parks, Healthy People (HPHP) initiatives with agencies worldwide, including Canada, Korea, Singapore, the USA, Colombia, and Finland. Parks Victoria has also directly supported WUP through several key initiatives. In 2018, it coordinated a collaboration agreement with IUCN’s WCPA, signed at the World Urban Parks Congress. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Parks Victoria contributed to the COVID-19 Expert Park Panel, producing important recovery documents. Additionally, it supported the Go Green for Parks campaign by illuminating the Werribee Park Mansion in green to honor park professionals’ contributions to healthy living.

World Urban Parks Chair’s Special Recognition Award:

The Board Chair’s Special Recognition Award is designed to honour the exceptional and active participation of a World Urban Parks individual or organisation member. This award recognizes their outstanding performance and relationship-building within the WUP membership, showcasing the significant impact of their efforts within their community, the broader region, or on a global scale.

Kristen Jackson – WUP Board Member and Chair Governance Committee, is the recipient of the World Urban Parks Chair’s Special Recognition Award for 2024.

• Kristen Jackson has had a long history of involvement with World Urban Parks before becoming a Board Member (6 years) and as a former President of Parks and Leisure Australia. For 7 years, Kristen has been a very active member of the global Healthy Parks, Healthy People Committee and the inaugural chair. This has included actively promoting this committee’s work at Congresses, thru Webinars and assisting in developing key WUP publications such as Pathways to Wellbeing and Healthy Parks Healthy Cities. Kristen, has also participated in the Governance Portfolio and as the Chair in 2023/24 leading to establishing new standards and practices to improve the governance functions of WUP and the Portfolio. This has been especially important in guiding WUP through its next phase.

Legacy Awards:

The Legacy Award of World Urban Parks recognises past leaders or leading organisations that impacted parks and park management over a long period of time (15 or more years).

WUP Legacy Award 2024 – Individual:

Alan Barber (Posthumous), from UK, is a recipient of the World Urban Parks Legacy Award for 2024.

Alan Barber (Posthumous) 11th June 1942 – 16th February 2011 WUP wishes to recognise Alan: 

• Alan Barber was one of Britain’s pre-eminent campaigners and advocates for public parks and a passionate believer in the positive effects of green spaces on society. During the 1990s, Alan became a senior figure at the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management (ILAM). Alan lobbied the Heritage Lottery Fund’s buildings and land panel, and in January 1996 the fund’s urban parks programme was established. Between then and his death £525m was awarded to more than 500 park projects in the UK, a vindication of Alan’s years of determined work. In 2001 the newly created Urban Green Spaces taskforce commissioned the largest survey of park use ever undertaken, and in 2003 CABE Space (part of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) was established. Alan worked there as a commissioner until ill-health forced him to resign in 2008.

  Andre Raad (Posthumous), from Netherlands, is a recipient of the World Urban Parks Legacy Award for 2024.

  Andre Raad (Posthumous) 12th August 1913 – 3rd December 2011 WUP wishes to recognise Andre: 

• Andre played a leading role in the founding and building of lfpra Europe (the precursor of World Urban Parks – WUP). He organised the first Ifpra Europe Congress in The Hague in 1982. It was through his commitment and effort that Ifpra flourished in the early years and grew from a North European Federation to a Global Federation. Andre is best known for the Raad Method. a calculation formula for determining the value of trees. This methodology is only one or his many contributions to the green sector and his experience was extensive.

Paul Todd, from UK, is a recipient of the World Urban Parks Legacy Award for 2024.

Paul Todd WUP wishes to recognise Paul:

• For more than 20 years Paul Todd has been instrumental in leading the development and global expansion of Green Flag Award – the international standard for parks and green spaces. Paul has led the programme since 2003, during which time the number of winners flying the Green Flag Award has increased from 182 to 2,673 across 19 countries including the UK, The Netherlands, Sweden, USA, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. The programme has also been expanded into a wider range of green spaces such as canals and waterways, university campuses and hospital grounds. On a more local level, Paul is also a member of The Friends of Norris Green Park in his native city of Liverpool, where he has helped spearhead the regeneration of this site, which lay neglected for over a decade, and is now a thriving hub for the community. As a result of his dedication to the parks and green spaces sector, in 2024 Paul received the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s birthday honours list, which is awarded for an outstanding achievement or service to the community.

WUP Legacy Award 2024 – Organisation:

Greater London (City of London, Greater London Authority, Lee Valley Parks, Royal Parks, National Park City Foundation and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and London Legacy Development Corporation and the 32 Boroughs of London) is the recipient of the World Urban Parks Legacy Award for 2024.

Greater London, WUP wishes to recognise the following organisations: 

• City of London, 
• Greater London Authority, 
• Lee Valley Parks Authority, 
• The Royal Parks, 
• National Park City Foundation 
• Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and London Legacy Development Corporation and  
• The 32 Boroughs of London 

  For the legacy of urban park management and the ongoing global leadership. 

  The Royal Parks have for generations been the benchmark for urban parks globally and the wave of greenspace concepts that have occurred over the last 150 years have impacted the concept of urban parks globally. These have included: 

• A strategic approach to greening the city thru the works of the Greater London Authority  
• The long-term development of urban parks thru the City of London and Royal Parks 
• The development of regional parks concept thru Lee Valley Parklands 
• The recent modern interpretation of a urban park and social inclusion at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.  
• The development of a citywide approach to urban and greenspaces with the first global National Park City – London

Parks Awards:

WUP Outstanding New Park Project Award 2024:

The Chelsea Australian Garden, in the Dandenong Ranges Botanical Garden, in Olinda, Australia is the recipient of the 2024 WUP Outstanding New Park Project Award

• World Urban Parks wishes to recognize the Chelsea Australian Garden, in the Dandenong Ranges Botanical Garden, in Olinda, Victoria, Australia with its inaugural Outstanding New Park Project Award. The Chelsea Australian Garden converts an underutilized portion of a golf course with limited access into a vibrant public park that everyone can access for free. Development of the project included several important innovations: initial prototyping and testing of the design ideas at the Chelsea Garden Show; deep collaboration with the indigenous traditional owners of the site, the Wurundjeri People; and active partnership between government, community, and a private foundation. The project includes green strategies to improve its environmental performance: incorporating native species, including rare and endangered Australian plant species; demonstrating how individuals can use native species in their home gardens; and using an array of sustainable design features to reduce the environmental footprint of the garden. Finally, the project actively engages the local community in a variety of ways ranging from programs designed to connect local youth to nature to volunteer programs to engage members of the community in the maintenance and management of the site.

WUP Large Urban Parks Award 2024:

Baku Seaside National Park in Baku, Azerbaijan is the recipient of the 2024 WUP Large Urban Parks Award.

• WUP wishes to recognise the Baku Seaside National Park in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a 2024 Large Urban Parks Award. Baku Seaside National Park is a large park along the shore of the Caspian Sea that was built in the early 20th century. Since that time, the park has since been developed, extended, and modernized in several stages. In 1998 it was declared a National Park. Today the park houses a wide variety of attractions – museums, shopping-malls, playgrounds, sports facilities, restaurants etc. – embedded in a large park with well cultivated greenery – both endemic and foreign trees, bushes, flowers and cacti. With its central location in the city, it provides vitally important recreation space for Baku’s residents. The park continues to evolve, with plans to increase native biodiversity, combat noise and pollution, and add new park extensions and new attractions.

As the World Urban Parks Awards 2024 come to a close, we invite you to become part of our global network. Let’s keep working together to shape the future of urban spaces and foster vibrant communities. Join us in making an impact and contributing to our shared mission.



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