Lexington is the latest city to join the 10-Minute Walk Campaign — pledging to make sure 100% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park or green space by 2050.
Currently, 40% of the 320,000+ Lexingtonians live within a 10-minute walk of a park. The city’s emphasis on increasing green space isn’t a new topic. The Parks & Rec Master Plan already includes a goal to increase that to 65% by 2030.
So, how + where does a city that already has 100+ parks add even more? Paul Hooper — Parks & Rec Information Office Supervisor — said it can come in three ways —
- Through development of existing parkland
- Establishing new parks in growing areas
- Improved access to existing parks
Improved access
The Planning and Design Department within Parks & Rec is tasked with finding ways to make parks more accessible within neighborhoods — think Masterson Station Park. Building walking paths is a great way to connect + improve access to existing parks.
Existing parkland
Paul said the department is very intentional about decisions it makes when developing existing parkland due to the often steep financial cost. Many parks have requests for new or updated equipment. But he expects a huge boost in growth + development in the coming year thanks to the ARPA funding.
New parks
New developments such as the Hamburg and Polo Club Blvd. area are popping up with limited access to green space. If there’s no city owned property to work with in the area, developers are encouraged to partner with Parks & Rec which will help create biking and walking trails.
Get involved
Paul said that Parks & Rec is always open to suggestions — noting that the best ideas come directly from community members. Feedback can go to city councilmembers or directly to the Parks & Rec Department.
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