Gatsas joins mayors across America in 10-Minute Walk campaign, for accessible public parks

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Mayor Gatsas and staff took a ceremonial walk to Victory Park on Oct. 10 in support of the 10-Minute Walk campaign. Courtesy photo.

MANCHESTER, NH – At 10:10 a.m. on October 10, Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas 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, and all residents of Manchester 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 across the country.  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.

“Manchester has a vibrant parks system and year after year we continue to make investments into our parks contributing to the high quality of life we enjoy here in the Queen City,” said Gatsas.  “I commend the hard work by the leadership and staff at the city Parks & Recreation Department for their dedication to preserving, improving, and beatifying our green spaces, parks, and playgrounds.  This mayor’s coalition is a great step forward to work together and ensure everyone has access to a quality park within a close walk of home.  This is an important effort and I look forward to participating.”

Studies show that high-quality parks provide a wide range of benefits to urban residents and cities themselves. These 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 full list of participating mayors can be found at 10minutewalk.org.

Click here for more on The Trust for Public Land.

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!