More than 30 million people visit Minneapolis parks each year, a public resource that Al Bangoura is ready to not only maintain but evolve. When Covid first hit, Bangoura says it felt like a “hard stop.” But it quickly became clear the parks system was more important than ever, especially for youth. “Instead of status quo saying, ‘How do we just survive this?’ I decided to move in different ways,” he says. Bangoura and parks leadership reimagined the recreational centers, which are an element in most city parks. Now, new creative technology spaces named Spark’d Studios are being built to serve youth, offering free media arts programming and after-school access to technology. Six will open by 2025.

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