The Trust for Public Land

Client: The Trust for Public Land (TPL)
Sector: Conservation, Urban Design, Climate Resilience
Project: Thought leadership strategy and public positioning to advance TPL’s climate and community impact initiatives

🔹 The Challenge

The Trust for Public Land had a strong national reputation in land conservation—but its forward-looking work around climate adaptation, community health, and green infrastructure wasn’t getting the attention it deserved. To expand their influence and build momentum for more ambitious projects, TPL needed to shift perception: from traditional nonprofit to strategic partner shaping the future of cities.

🔹 The Strategy

We developed a multi-year thought leadership strategy focused on climate resilience, equity in public space, and the role of parks as urban infrastructure.

We began by securing high-profile speaking opportunities for TPL’s executive and program leaders across influential design, sustainability, and public policy platforms. These placements positioned the organization as a key voice in the intersection of climate, equity, and the built environment.

Highlights included:

  • Climate Program Director featured on stage at VERGE and WorldFuture, presenting Climate Smart Cities—TPL’s GIS-driven framework for climate-resilient design and data-informed decision-making

  • Strategic speaking placements at WSJ ECOnomics, SXSW Eco, Fortune Brainstorm Green, Dwell on Design (NYC + LA), NRPA, and Urban Land Institute

  • Helped shape messaging across multiple initiatives—from cultural equity in open space, to public-private data sharing, to the transformation of underused schoolyards into SPARK community parks

This wasn’t just visibility for visibility’s sake—it was strategic positioning to shift how funders, policy leaders, and designers saw the role of land conservation in modern civic life.

🔹 The Outcome

  • Positioned TPL as a climate-forward, systems-level actor, not just a conservation brand

  • Secured national thought leadership opportunities that opened doors to new partnerships and funding relationships

  • Amplified TPL’s Climate Smart Cities program to audiences across tech, sustainability, and urban planning sectors

  • Helped reframe parks as essential infrastructure for health, equity, and resilience in a changing climate