residents and businesses. Plus, it’s a public health issue: research has shown that people who regularly use parks get more and better exercise than people who don’t. A park close by can improve the well-being of everyone from a child managing ADHD to a senior recovering from hip surgery. That’s because, even for people who love getting outside, there’s a big differ- ence between a park down the street and one across town. If a trip to the park means waiting for the bus—or pack- ing the family into the car and sitting in traffic—a day on the couch can start to sound more appealing. But having green space in the neighborhood opens up possibilities: a quick jog before work, a picnic lunch break, or even sending older kids out to play on their own after school.
Since its founding during the heyday
of the environmental movement, The Trust for Public Land has advocated for nature in easy reach of city-dwellers—its land-for-people mission setting it apart from other groups centered on wilder- ness or wildlife. Four decades later, the organization is readying for a new nationwide campaign: to push American cities to commit to putting a park or other green space within a 10-minute walk of all residents, regardless of the neighborhood they live in. As the campaign gets underway, other cities weighing new investments in park infrastructure will look to the bellwether of the BeltLine. They’ll compare budgets and blueprints, read the studies and run the projections—as well they should. But in the end, no document can speak to a park’s worth as well as its neighbors.
The trail has validated our optimism for Atlanta’s future.
TPL.ORG · 45
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