City Parks Alliance is proud to release “City Parks: America’s New Infrastructure”, the first video in a five-part series documenting the multi-functional benefits of urban parks. With growing urban populations and aging infrastructure, local governments and their city planners are taking a fresh look at parks as a wise investment of municipal resources to address our greatest urban challenges—from stormwater management and flood prevention to reducing public health costs to economic revitalization and job growth.
“It’s time to recognize the multiple economic, environmental, and health benefits of city parks,” said Catherine Nagel, executive director of City Parks Alliance. City Parks: America’s New Infrastructure documents dozens of parks of various types and sizes that are helping drive economic growth while addressing other urban challenges. As we look to rebuild urban infrastructure, parks must be included.”
The videos include interviews with local business leaders, real estate developers, elected officials, urban design and park professionals, academics, and others highlighting parks in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Nashville, New York, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. The series includes an overview video released today, and four other videos focused on Transportation, Resilience, Health, and Economic benefits of city parks to be released in the coming weeks. Many of the parks featured in the videos were part of a multi-year study conducted by Georgia Institute of Technology researchers into the economic benefits of U.S. infrastructure investments in collaboration with more than 50 university, industry, and government partners.
“City parks can play an important role as cities look to rebuild after the recent hurricanes and improve their resilience to flooding and other environmental challenges. Parks provide flood mitigation benefits, transportation options, and drive private investments that can jump-start local economies and provide new and lasting jobs,” continued Nagel.
The videos, research, and supporting materials for government officials, urban planners, and others are available at www.cityparksalliance.org/infrastructure. When additional videos are released they will also be added to the page.
Rebuilding our national infrastructure has long been a major concern for urban populations and elected officials. Increasingly, there has been a renewed interest in figuring out ways to rebuild and strengthen our roads, railways, bridges, and water systems. Urban parks can and should play a profound role in any rebuilding efforts, as they are essential infrastructure for 21st-century cities. Parks are mixed-use and can be incorporated into transportation plans, mitigate flooding and stormwater runoff, reduce urban heat island effects and air pollution, and improve health outcomes by making it easier for residents to stay active outdoors.
