A bipartisan group of 127 mayors across the country are launching a 10-Minute Walk to a Park campaign in support of parks and green spaces within a half-mile of every resident.
The campaign was launched today in partnership with The Trust for Public Land, National Recreation and Park Association and Urban Land Institute. The U.S. Conference of Mayors, which represents more than 1,000 U.S. mayors, also unanimously passed a resolution at the 85th Annual Meeting urging all mayors to actively pursue the 10-minute walk to a park goal.
Studies show that high-quality parks provide a wide range of benefits to urban residents and cities. These include:
- Physical and mental health benefits with opportunities for physical activity
- Environmental benefitsof cleaning and cooling the air, improving climate resilience and providing opportunities for environmental education
- Economic benefitsor revitalizing neighborhoods and supporting nearby businesses
- Community-building benefitsof providing opportunities for neighbors to interact with each other and work together to improve their surroundings
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 be working with select cities across the country on 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.
“Everyone deserves to have a park within a 10-minute walk,” said Adrian Benepe, senior vice president and director of city park development for The Trust for Public Land. “As our research shows, more than 100-million Americans currently don’t have access to the countless benefits parks provide. These mayors deserve enormous credit for endorsing the 10-minute walk and supporting the principle that parks are a right, not a privilege—and that everyone deserves access to high-quality public parks and open green spaces.”
The 127 cities/mayors endorsing the 10-minute walk standard include:
- Alameda, CA, Trish Herrera Spencer
- Alexandria, VA, Allison Silberberg
- Anaheim, CA, Thomas Tait
- Andover, MN, Julie Trude
- Ann Arbor, MI, Christopher Taylor
- Arcadia, CA, Peter Amundson
- Arlington, VA, Jay Fisette
- Atlanta, GA, Kasim Reed
- Atlantic City, NJ, Don Guardian
- Aurora, CO, Steve Hogan
- Austin, TX, Steve Adler
- Baltimore, MD, Catherine Pugh
- Baton Rouge, LA, Sharon Weston Broome
- Bloomfield, NJ, Michael Venezia
- Bloomington, IN, John Hamilton
- Boca Raton, FL, Susan Haynie
- Boise, ID, Dave Bieter
- Boston, MA, Martin Walsh
- Bozeman, MT, Carson Taylor
- Bridgeport, CT, Joseph Ganim
- Brockton, MA, Bill Carpenter
- Burlington, VT, Miro Weinberger
- Carmel, IN, Jim Brainard
- Charlotte, NC, Jennifer Roberts
- Chattanooga, TN, Andy Berke
- Chicago, IL, Rahm Emanuel
- Clarksville, TN, Kim McMillan
- Clearwater, FL, George Cretekos
- Cody, WY, Matt Hall
- College Station, TX, Karl Mooney
- Colorado Springs, CO, John Suthers
- Columbia, SC, Stephen Benjamin
- Covina, CA, Jorge Marquez
- Cupertino, CA, Savita Vaidhyanathan
- Dallas, TX, Mike Rawlings
- Danville, VA, John Gilstrap
- Davie, FL, Judy Paul
- Denver, CO, Michael Hancock
- Des Moines, WA, Matt Pina
- Des Moines, IA, Frank Cownie
- Dolton, IL, Riley Rogers
- Doral, FL, Juan Carlos Bermudez
- Dublin, CA, David Haubert
- Durham, NC, Bill Bell
- East Hartford, CT, Marcia Leclerc
- East Point, GA, Jannquell Peters
- Edmond, OK, Charles Lamb
- Elgin, IL, Dave Kaptain
- Elizabeth, NJ, J. Christian Bollwage
- Encinitas, CA, Catherine Blakespear
- Eugene, OR, Lucy Vinis
- Evansville, IL, Lloyd Winnecke
- Fort Collins, CO, Wade Troxell
- Fort Myers, FL, Randall Henderson, Jr.
- Fort Worth, TX, Betsy Price
- Frederick, MD, Randy McClement
- Gadsden, AL, Sherman Guyton
- Gainseville, FL, Lauren Poe
- Gary, IN, Karen Freeman-Wilson
- Golden, CO, Marjorie Sloan
- Grand Praire, TX, Ron Jensen
- Grand Rapids, MI, Rosalynn Bliss
- Greensboro, NC, Nancy Vaughan
- Greenville, MS, Derrick Simmons
- Hartford, CT, Luke Bronin
- Hemet, CA, Linda Krupa
- Hoboken, NJ, Dawn Zimmer
- Holland, MI, Nancy DeBoer
- Honolulu, HI, Kirk Caldwell
- Houston, TX, Sylvester Turner
- Kansas City, MO, Sly James
- Kearney, NE, Stanley Clouse
- Killeen, TX, Jose Segarra
- Lacy, WA, Andy Ryder
- Lakeland, FL, Howard Wiggs
- Las Cruces, NM, Ken Miyagishima
- Las Vegas, NV, Carolyn Goodman
- Lewisville, TX, Rudy Durham
- Little Rock, AR, Mark Stodola
- Los Angeles, CA, Eric Garcetti
- Lynnwood, WA, Nicola Smith
- Macon, GA, Robert Reichert
- Manchester, NH, Ted Gatsas
- Melrose, MA, Rob Dolan
- Miami Gardens, FL, Oliver Gilbert
- Minneapolis, MN, Betsy Hodges
- Montpelier, VT, John Hollar
- Mount Vernon, NY, Richard Thomas
- Murfreesboro, TN, Shane McFarland
- Myrtle Beach, SC, John Rhodes
- New Orleans, LA, Mitch Landrieu
- New York, NY, Bill de Blasio
- Newark, NJ, Ras Baraka
- New Haven, CT, Toni Harp
- Niagara Falls, NY, Paul Dyster
- Oklahoma City, OK, Mick Cornett
- Orlando, FL, Buddy Dyer
- Palmdale, CA, Jim Ledford
- Pembroke Pines, FL, Frank Ortis
- Philadelphia, PA, Jim Kenney
- Plano, TX,Harry LaRosiliere
- Portland, ME, Ethan Strimling
- Providence, RI, Jorge Elorza
- Queen Creek, AZ, Gail Barney
- Reno, NV, Hillary Schieve
- Richardson,TX, Paul Voelker
- Richmond, VA, Levar Stoney
- Riverside, CA, Rusty Bailey
- Rochester Hills, MI, Bryan Barnett
- Rochester, NY, Lovely Warren
- Rockford, IL, Tom McNamara
- San Francisco, CA, Ed Lee
- Santa Clara, CA, Lisa Gillmor
- Santa Fe, NM, Javier Gonzales
- Stamford, CT, David Martin
- St. Paul, MN, Chris Coleman
- Sumter, SC, Joe McElveen
- Tallahassee, FL, Andrew Gillum
- Thornton, CO, Heidi Williams
- Thousand Oaks, CA, Claudia Bill-de la Pena
- Toledo, OH, Paula Hicks-Hudson
- Vancouver, WA, Tim Leavitt
- Virginia Beach, VA, William Sessoms
- Washington, DC, Muriel Bowser
- Wenatchee, WA, Frank Kuntz
- Wichita, KS , Jeff Longwell
- Wisconsin Rapids, WI, Zachary Vruwink
For more information, 10minutewalk.org.
Photo: 10-Minute Walk Campaign
