Upgrades on the way

Funding for park maintenance in Oakland took a big hit in the City's new budget earlier this summer.

But the news for Oakland parks is not all bad. While some parks will soon begin to fall into disrepair (except, of course, those which have dedicated volunteers filling in the gaps left by the City), others are getting spruced up.

Two of downtown's historic parks, Jefferson Square Park and Lincoln Square Park, will soon be receiving some long overdue upgrades, courtesy of local redevelopment funds.

Today's post over at A Better Oakland outlines the improvements on the way for these two spaces, alongside photos of what they look like right now.

And if that leaves you hungry for more, you currently have an opportunity to learn about the history of downtown's parks at a new multimedia exhibit at the Oakland Art Gallery:

Pro Arts presents 10,000 Steps: A Profile of Four Squares, an exhibition of the artist group marksearch's multi-year participatory stewardship project in and around Oakland's historic downtown parks. These parks-Jefferson Square, Lafayette Square, Madison Square, and Lincoln Square, each occupying only one city block-are tiny spots of open space in the urban fabric of downtown, places where tai chi practitioners, men gathering for a pick-up game of basketball, kids in after-school programs, mothers with strollers, and the homeless can all come together.

This multimedia installation at Pro Arts will showcase the history of these parks and the diverse communities that surround them through image, text, maps and video. In celebration of the first phase of the 10,000 Steps project, the exhibit will incorporate an innovative series of events to familiarize the public with the parks and their neighborhoods, including guided walking tours (sponsored by the Oakland Heritage Alliance) and lunchtime demonstrations.

Read more: http://new -cycle.blogspot.com