Greening Coatesville Initiative

The Greening Coatesville Initiative is another example of The Alliance for Health Equity bringing the community and right partners together, at the right time, to address and prioritize issues that impact the community’s overall health and well-being. Public spaces, like parks and playgrounds foster active play, social cohesion and brings multi-generations together.

In 2016, the City of Coatesville, The Alliance for Health Equity, and Natural Lands partnered to complete a five-year action plan for the city’s parks: “Coatesville Park 2021, An Action Plan for Lively Parks and Healthy People.” The planning process included a significant amount of public input, which yielded a clear list of the community’s priorities that are addressed by all phases of the City’s Action Plan: The City of Coatesville 2021 – An Action Plan for Parks and Recreation. Funding for the assessment was provided through The Alliance for Health Equity with generous support from ArcelorMittal, PECO and the Philadelphia Foundation.

Following the Action Plan, The Alliance for Health Equity, Natural Lands and the City of Coatesville created the Greening Coatesville Initiative to begin the transformation of the public parks and recreation system into a safe community treasure where residents can play, socialize, get fit, and connect with nature, and where businesses thrive because people want to live, work and visit here.

1. Patton Park, in the West End of Coatesville enjoys a Kaboom! playground supported by the generous financial and volunteer support of PECO and the Applestone Foundation.

2. Palmer Park, was the benefactor of The “Meet Me at the Park Play Spaces” grant program, which is a collaboration between the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and The Walt Disney Company. Palmer Park benefited from a Disney grant that NRPA awarded to the Greening Coatesville Initiative to help make outdoor play accessible to children and families in underserved communities.