HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-20-17 Letter of Support - Trust for Public Land - National 10-Minute Walk to a Park Campaign THE
TRUST
FOR Campaign to Celebrate America's Cities and Civic Leaders Who Actively Promote the
PUBLIC
LAND 10-Minute Walk to a Park
Dear Mayor Taylor,
The Trust for Public Land, the National Recreation and Park Association, and the Urban Land
Institute are building out a campaign to celebrate, recognize, and highlight cities, mayors and
other civic leaders that promote the 10-minute walk to a park goal. This goal leads to equitable,
economically thriving, safe, and healthy communities.
As an outstanding leader and advocate for parks in Bozeman, we would be thrilled to have your
public support of this positive initiative. Under your leadership, projects like Story Mill
Community Park are providing quality spaces that improve equity and safety for city residents
and add to the beauty of the city.
Your Support
Your support of this initiative would involve three initial activities when the campaign is
launched in the fall:
• Recognition in public materials that spotlight park champions, including the website,
campaign materials, and press stories.
• Involvement in the campaign launch in the fall. The campaign team will work with your
office to develop your specific role.
• Designation of a member of the parks department to serve as the primary point of
contact for this initiative.
Longer-term, your support would involve the following:
• TPL, ULI, and NRPA staff will work with Director Mitch Overton and his team on
opportunities to partner on ongoing commitments to parks in Bozeman.
• The initiative is likely to host a biannual meeting with representatives from supporters
of the effort.
About the campaign:
Why 10 minutes?
In the United States, 70 of the largest 100 cities set a walking standard by distance, and of those
cities, 61 percent define "close" as within a half-mile. Though walking speeds vary, the U.S.
Department of Transportation agrees that most people can walk a half-mile in about 10
minutes. The Trust for Public Land and park planners across the country rely on sophisticated
technology and data to measure the 10-minute walk—and we believe that everyone should be
able to reach a park in that amount of time, no matter what kind of neighborhood they live in.
What the 10-minute walk means for cities
Cities that both prioritize existing parks and create new, life-enhancing ways for people to get
outdoors and be active are directly serving local residents and their health. By investing in parks
and open spaces, cities are staying ahead of ever-increasing population demands. Making
access to high quality parks a priority results in many community benefits:
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While approximately 65 percent of the nation's urban residents currently live within a 10-
minute walk of a park, we believe this effort will inspire a movement so that that everyone
living in urban America will have a park within a short walk of home. Great parks are anchors of
healthy, sustainable communities and vibrant American cities.
Key objectives of the 10-minute walk campaign
• Celebrate cities that make quality parks and access to them a first-tier solution to their
municipal challenges.
• Motivate civic leaders to publicly endorse the campaign and commit to making access to
nearby high-quality parks a priority.
• Increase the number of people in urban America who live within a 10-minute walk to a
park.
• Provide cutting-edge resources, information, and support that allow cities to make more
parks an on-the-ground reality.
• Motivate more civic leaders to prioritize parks and the 10-minute walk to a park goal.
Timeline
• The public launch, which includes a media event, release of a national poll, and a
substantial earned and social media effort, will take place in the fall of 2017.
Next Steps
We are grateful for your steadfast commitment to parks, and we would be honored to have
your involvement with this effort. By signing below, this letter will formalize your support of
this campaign.
If you have any additional questions, please to not hesitate to contact our team through Patrick
Phillippi. He can be reached at 202-748-2793 or by email at pphillippi@civitaspublicaffairs.com.
Signature:
Date:
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