#ParksMatter Workshop №4: Urban Parks as Spaces for Movement, Science, and Wellbeing

On June 24, the fourth workshop on urban green space management took place in Ivano-Frankivsk. The event was held within the framework of the project “City Parks Matter - A new approach to urban greenery management in Ivano-Frankivsk and Rzeszów (ParksMatter)”, implemented with the support of the Interreg NEXT Poland–Ukraine 2021–2027 programme.

This time, the workshop was aimed at active lifestyle enthusiasts - people who use city parks every day for sports, recreation, movement, and mental restoration. The event combined sustainable development with hands-on tools to help make green spaces more accessible, engaging, and intelligently designed

The event was opened with welcome remarks from Ihor Popadiuk, Director of the Department for Investment Policy, Projects, International Relations, Tourism and City Promotion.

The ParksMatter project presentation was delivered by Сhrystyna Melnyk, who emphasized the vision of transforming parks into modern, functional, safe, and inclusive public spaces for all city residents.

Nadiia Riznychuk, dendrology expert, led a talk titled “Urban Parks: Your Space for Movement and Relaxation”, followed by a Kahoot!-powered brainstorming session on engaging the public in sustainable park use and care.

In her talk “Parks for Sport, Sport for Parks”, Myroslava Mylenka, an ecology expert, introduced participants to tools for citizen science and mobile apps that help identify biodiversity and collect environmental data — even while jogging or walking in a park.

The interactive LegoSeriousPlay session encouraged participants to create models of ideas for integrating sports infrastructure into ecological environments, enhancing user engagement through digital tools, and strengthening communication in park spaces.

The workshop concluded with a discussion of the outcomes and actionable ideas that will feed into the next steps of the project.

The project “City Parks Matter - a new approach to urban greenery management in Ivano-Frankivsk and Rzeszów” is implemented under Interreg Next Poland-Ukraine 2021-2027 Programme. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of its authors and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.