Before becoming senior vice president for The Trust for Public Land in 2012, Adrian Benepe spent 11 years working as New York City Park Commissioner under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, overseeing such projects as the High Line, Hudson River Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Central Park's renovation, among others. The sheer level of Manhattan park development under his tenure has been compared to the changes amassed under Robert Moses.

Now at the nonprofit Trust, which is headquartered in San Francisco but operates throughout the US, Benepe focuses on providing public park space for people in urban areas, to "ensure that everyone has access to nature within a 10-minute walk from home," (in the words of the Trust). While visiting Los Angeles for the Dwell on Design conference earlier this year, Benepe spoke with me about his path to TPL, how green space is necessary for resiliency, and the symbiotic relationship between the public and private in parks. Listen below:

From the interview: info on Boeddeker Public Park in San Francisco's Tenderloin.