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10 Minutes
Such a seemingly insignificant chunk of one’s day. We often spend 10 minutes mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, 10 minutes searching for a Tupperware lid that fits, 10 minutes sitting in traffic or waiting for the bus. Ten minutes doesn’t seem like much, but when in that 10 minutes you can be, like my kids this morning, playing at a local park, it can be magic. That’s 10 minutes to the slide, 10 minutes to the swing, 10 minutes to a chance encounter with a new friend.
It’s a simple idea: every American should live within a 10-minute walk to a quality park. That’s why we are so proud to partner with The Trust for Public Land and the Urban Land Institute on the national 10-Minute Walk campaign. To date, nearly 200 mayors have joined the movement to ensure that all Americans live within a 10-minute walk to a park. We’re excited to announce the 12 cities selected for the first round of 10-Minute Walk campaign grants, each receiving $40,000 and technical assistance from NRPA, The Trust for Public Land, and the Urban Land Institute.
- Anchorage, AK
- Austin, TX
- Chattanooga, TN
- Camden, NJ
- Clarkston, GA
- El Cajon, CA
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Lewisville, TX
- New Rochelle, NY
- Orlando, FL
- Rochester, NY
- Tukwila, WA
These grantees will work over the next year to set a 10-Minute Walk commitment and plan for action to increase equitable access to and quality of parks in their cities. The commitments will include everything from acquiring new land in dense urban areas, incorporating equity prioritization models into park master plans and capital improvement plans, and to ensuring their existing parks are quality places to be — safe, accessible to all, welcoming, engaging, and responding to diverse and evolving needs of the community.
But wait, there’s more! On Tuesday, May 1, as part of the 10-Minute Walk campaign, The Trust for Public Land will release ParkServe, the first national data platform mapping park access in more than 14,000 cities and towns — home to more than 260 million Americans. This is the most comprehensive and powerful “science of parks” technology ever created, and will allow you to measure and compare access to parks nationwide and pinpoint exactly where new parks are needed most in your city.
Congratulations to the 12 cities above, and I hope the ParkServe data will help you move the needle on the 10-minute walk in your city. We look forward to learning from all of the 195 and counting communities who have signed onto the 10-Minute Walk campaign.
Now, I ask, what will you do with your next 10 minutes? Go ahead, treat yourself, walk down to your park. Hop on that swing, slither on down the slide, take a stroll down the trail, stop and sniff the crabapple tree blooming, think about how lucky you are to have all this within 10-minute walk. Then think about all those who don’t, or that the park within 10 minutes that isn’t worth the walk. If your mayor has yet to sign onto the 10-Minute Walk campaign, let’s make sure we get her on board.
Kevin O'Hara
Vice President of Urban and Government Affairs
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Featured
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Parkology is a free, public, online platform where park advocates can share ideas, tools and resources that was created in partnership by City Parks Alliance, National Recreation and Park Association, and The Trust for Public Land. It is designed to empower passionate people across America to help further the 10-minute walk vision by advocating for the creation of quality, close-to-home parks.
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Connect kids and families with local, state and national parks on Kids to Parks Day on May 19, 2018. When they connect with public lands, kids learn about park stewardship, outdoor recreation, STEM and history. Foster the next generation of park enthusiasts by registering an event for Kids to Parks Day and by inviting your members of Congress to join in on the celebration. The National Park Trust has partnered with NRPA to make it easy to invite your federal elected officials with an interactive Park Champions Toolkit.
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Stories That Matter
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CityLab
A new county-by-county report finds that blacks and Native Americans have the most dire health statistics in the United States.
You Will Not Win the War on Noise
CityLab
For centuries, Western culture has been trying to find some peace and quiet. But the more people try to keep unwanted sound out, the more sensitive they become to it.
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Dallas News
Construction begins on Pacific Plaza, downtown Dallas' next major park and the first of four new green spaces planned in the next five years.
Natural Resource Defense Council
Effective stormwater fees can create jobs, build infrastructure, and drive investment in local communities.
Next City
In the race to develop green initiatives, some cities are proving better at the branding than in actually creating affordable, equitable green spaces for all citizens.
Fast Co
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the news, saying, “This park was not built for automobiles. It was built for people."
Bond Buyer
Atlanta has a longstanding commitment to sustainability and conservation in the large and growing city.
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Route Fifty
States and localities hit in recent years by natural disasters learned what share they would receive of a massive allotment of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants. Over half of the money is slated to go to Puerto Rico, which was devastated last year by Hurricane Maria.
Route Fifty
The ongoing political battle over Civil War monuments—and the public spaces they reside in—reflects a disconnect over civic expression and our public spaces.
The New York Times
In recent years, though, the ranks of state and local employees have languished even as the populations they serve have grown.
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The Pew Trusts
While many rural counties have been shrinking for years, others with strong recreational industries, such as mountainous western towns where people can take a quick hike or southern states with year-round golfing weather, have been growing rapidly.
Curbed Chicago
The new plan will focus on citywide park improvements and accessibility.
Route Fifty
A single retirement or multiple departures of experienced staffers don’t necessarily need to be scary for public-sector organizations.
Route Fifty
Hurricane Harvey focused the city's efforts to use technology, citizen engagement and lessons from around the world to steer its disaster response and address long-term needs.
Philly.com
The new design of LOVE Park has flattened out its multiple levels and added greenery, but it still needs people to activate the bland space.
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U.S. Forest Service
Proposals for communities to establish sustainable urban and community forests are due April 30, 2018.
U.S. Department of Transportation
A series of webinars is planned to discuss the $1.5 billion in Transportation Discretionary Grants through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD).
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© 2018 National Recreation and Park Association, All Rights Reserved
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