168 Parks and 186 Miles of Trails: A Conversation with Maggie Stuckey-Ross on Lincoln's Parks

Maggie Stuckey-Ross leads one of Lincoln's most visible public departments — Parks and Recreation — but her path there ran through Capitol Hill, the Arbor Day Foundation, and a childhood spent on the playground at Irvingdale Park. In this conversation, she walks Randy and Marilyn through the philosophy behind a parks system designed so that nearly every household in Lincoln sits within a ten-minute walk of a green space, a trail, a pool, or a rec center.Along the way, she shares the story of the new Canopy Yard skate park downtown, the thinking behind playgrounds designed for children of every ability, the Lincoln Parks Foundation's role in funding the city's most beloved spaces, and Lincoln's quiet national distinction: number one in the country for outdoor basketball hoops per capita.A thoughtful conversation about public stewardship, community design, and the spaces that quietly hold our lives together.Recorded at The Coffee Roaster in Lincoln, Nebraska.