Submitted by City of Lacey
Lacey Mayor Ryder joined The Trust for Public Land, National Recreation, and Park Association and Urban Land Institute in launching an historic “10-minute walk” parks advocacy campaign. The campaign has an ambitious goal that all Americans should live within a 10-minute walk (or half-mile) of a high-quality park or green space.
This bipartisan group includes mayors from across the country and represents cities large and small, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston. The U.S. Conference of Mayors, representing more than 1,000 U.S. mayors, also unanimously passed a resolution urging all mayors to actively pursue the 10-minute walk to a park goal. Currently, over 130 mayors/cities have endorsed the campaign.
“Parks are critically important in Lacey and cities across America. This mayor’s coalition is a great step forward to work together and ensure all Americans have a quality park within a close walk of home,” said Mayor Ryder. “Lacey City Council approved the updated Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Plan last month which includes Lacey adopting a standard of having a neighborhood park/trail within one-half mile of each resident.” The Plan can be accessed at the City of Lacey website.
Studies show high-quality parks provide many benefits to residents and cities, as well, including:
- Physical and mental health – providing opportunities for physical activities and to interact with nature
- Economic – boosting business and helping revitalize neighborhoods
- Community-building – providing opportunities for neighbors to interact and work together to improve their surroundings
- Environmental – cleaning and cooling the air, improving climate resilience, and providing opportunities for environmental education
Cities Partner to Advance the 10-Minute Vision
The campaign marks the start of a multi-year partnership with cities and mayors across the country. Beginning in 2018, the campaign—led by The Trust for Public Land in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association, and Urban Land Institute—will work with select cities to create measurable policies and strategies to advance the 10-minute walk vision. Reaching 100 percent served in cities nationwide will require major advances in park finance and construction; zoning changes to encourage park development; embedding this goal into city parks master plans; the expansion of “joint-use” agreements that open school playgrounds, tracks, and gyms for public use after hours and on weekends; and other innovations.
Partner Organizations on the 10-Minute Walk Campaign
“Everyone deserves to have a park within a 10-minute walk—that is why we are in the midst of mapping park access for every city and town across America through our new platform, ParkServe®,” said Adrian Benepe, Senior Vice President and Director of City Park Development for The Trust for Public Land. “We have already mapped more than 100,000 parks in nearly 7,700 communities across the country. Our research shows, more than 100 million Americans currently do not have access to the countless benefits parks provide. These mayors deserve enormous credit for endorsing the 10-minute walk.”
“Thoughtfully designed parks make a positive difference in the quality of life in communities, serving as a respite, a source of civic pride, and a draw for investment activity,” said Patrick L. Phillips, Global Chief Executive Officer for the Urban Land Institute. “We are excited to work with these distinguished mayors and other urban leaders to promote the 10-minute walk campaign and help improve park access in their cities and urban areas across the country.”
The JPB Foundation also provided generous support for this effort.
For more information or to see the full list of participating mayors/cities, visit 10minutewalk.org.
