At 10:10 a.m. on October 10, 134 of the nation’s most infuential mayors 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, establishing the 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 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 developing innovative parks solutions, from Oklahoma City to Chattanooga. 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.

“I am proud we’re supporting the goal of a 10-minute walk to a quality park for all,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, President of The U.S. Conference of Mayors. “New Orleans’ recreation department recently received national accreditation—proof that at our parks, and those all across America, people are connecting and building happier and healthier communities.”

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

Partnering with cities to advance the 10-minute walk 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 fnance and construction; zoning changes to encourage park development; embedding this goal into city and 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—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 benefts parks provide. These mayors deserve enormous credit for endorsing the 10-minute walk.”

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,” said Barbara Tulipane, president and chief executive offcer of the National Recreation and Park Association.

“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 offcer 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 as well as urban areas across the country.”

Generous support for this effort has been provided by The JPB Foundation.

134 mayors/cities endorsing the 10-minute walk standard

The full list can be found at 10minutewalk.org