streetchat

Houston’s first botanic garden opened in September 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, offering locals a green escape from the confines of their living spaces into 132 acres of living museum. Some 2.5 miles of walking trails guide visitors along a bayou meander and through six outdoor gallery spaces displaying a collection of tropical, sub-tropical and arid plants from around the world to showcase the biodiversity that thrives along the Texas Gulf Coast. Claudia Gee Vassar, President and General Counsel of the Garden, joined the institution’s long journey towards establishment (18 years from nonprofit formation to opening day) in 2016. She shares her insights with StreetChat about the creation and growth of a very rare thing in 2020: a brand-new botanic garden. 1. What inspires you? I am inspired …

Kim Ellis is Executive Director of Sydney’s Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands, overseeing a network of seven parks from harbourside to mountaintop. He was Director and CEO of the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust before the parks joined forces in 2014, and was at the helm throughout the operational integration. An advocate for green space, Ellis walks one of the seven parks each morning. Your vision for Australia’s parks and green spaces? Australia is blessed with some of the world’s best public parks and green spaces, but we should not take them for granted. Around 66% of Australians live in capital cities, and this is increasing over time. Population growth pressures and the changes in lifestyle and demographics are already changing the nature and usage of our public spaces. As park managers …