Austin Mayor Joins In '10-Minute Walk' Initiative Promoting Parks Proximity

AUSTIN, TX — The mayor of Austin on Tuesday is scheduled to join in on the "10-minute walk" parks advocacy campaign aimed at ensuring that every American live in close proximity to a high-quality park or green space.

The city's will join in the goal at 10:10 a.m., the time alluding to the goal to have residents live within half a mile — approximately a 10-minute walk — of a natural setting designed for recreation. In so doing, Austin Mayor Steve Adler joins a coalition of 134 mayors nationwide joining the 10-minute-walk-to-a-park campaign.

The campaign is led by The Trust for Public Land, National Recreation and Park Association, and Urban Land Institute. The bipartisan effort includes mayors from all across the country and represents cities large and small, including America’s four largest cities (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston) and diverse communities across Texas. 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, Adler noted.

"Sometimes leading requires taking a first step," he said. "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.”

The mayor cited studies that show that high-quality parks provide a wide range of benefits to urban residents and cities themselves. These benefits, Adler said, include physical and mental health benefits, by providing opportunities to be physically active and to interact with nature; economic benefits by boosting business and helping to revitalize neighborhoods; community-building benefits by providing opportunities for neighbors to interact with each other and work together to improve their surroundings; and environmental benefits by cleaning and cooling the air, improving climate resilience, and providing opportunities for environmental education.
The mayor released a primer on the campaign:

Partnering with cities 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 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.

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 close to 7,700 communities across the country, and 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.”

Barbara Tulipane, president and chief executive officer of the National Recreation and Park Association, added: "On issues from climate change to infrastructure development, U.S. mayors have shown that cities can lead. Mayors aren’t waiting on Washington; they are acting boldly and independently. Urban leaders have declared that parks are a priority, and mayors have joined together in this historic campaign to ensure that everyone has access to a high-quality park.”

Patrick L. Phillips, global chief executive officer of the Urban Land Institute described some of the aforementioned benefits of park proximity: “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. 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 as well as urban areas across the country.”

An advisory on the effort noted generous support for this effort was provided by The JPB Foundation.

Among the 134 mayors and cities endorsing the 10-minute walk standard include cities big and small. The full list can be found at 10minutewalk.org. Some of the participants 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
• Buena Park, CA, Elizabeth Swift
• Burlington, VT, Miro Weinberger
• Carmel, IN, Jim Brainard
• Central Falls, RI, James Diossa
• Charlotte, NC, Jennifer Roberts
• Chattanooga, TN, Andy Berke
• Chicago, IL, Rahm Emanuel
• Clarksville, TN, Kim McMillan
• Clearwater, FL, George Cretekos
• Cody, WY, Matt Hall
• Coeur d’ Alene, ID, Steve Widmyer
• 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, IN, 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
• Gainesville, 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
• Lacey, WA, Andy Ryder
• Lakeland, FL, R. 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
• Memphis, TN, Jim Strickland
• 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
• New Rochelle, NY, Noam Bramson
• 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
• Portland, OR, Ted Wheeler
• 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 Peña
• Toledo, OH, Paula Hicks-Hudson
• Vancouver, WA, Tim Leavitt
• Virginia Beach, VA, William Sessoms
• Washington, DC, Muriel Bowser
• Wenatchee, WA, Frank Kuntz
• Westminster, CO, Joe Dominick
• Wichita, KS, Jeff Longwell
• Wisconsin Rapids, WI, Zach Vruwink

About The Trust for Public Land (provided text):

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Millions of people live near a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year.

About the Urban Land Institute (provided text):

The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has more than 40,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.

About the National Recreation and Park Association (provided text):

The National Recreation and Park Association is the leading non-profit dedicated to ensuring that all Americans have access to quality parks and recreation. Through its network of 60,000 recreation and park professionals and advocates, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy and active lifestyles, conservation, and equitable access to parks.

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