Urban Park Creation Is Gaining Ground With Mayors

New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial placed his hand over his mouth and feigned a wide yawn to describe how some might view the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ effort supporting federal legislation to expand park and recreation outlets in cities.

“Some people used to dealing with big policy debates might be saying ‘Ho-hum, the mayors want to build parks,’ but I can tell you that it’s one of the most critical issues we face,” Morial said. “It just doesn’t get the attention it deserves.”

Although such topics as gun control and improving schools generally dominate the debate at the annual mayors’ conference, expanding urban park space is grabbing the spotlight this year on the heels of House passage of a bill to provide $125 million for recreation and green spaces.

The Senate is expected to vote on the measure in July, and the mayors are planning a massive lobbying effort, with visits planned to Washington lawmakers July 11 through 13 in support of the spending package.

Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, president of the mayor’s conference, said preserving and expanding open space in cities, though usually taking a back seat to fighting crime and improving schools, is a high-powered issue for the well-being of a community.

“For a lot of people, parks don’t mean a summer trip to Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon but it means the little park area right down the street,” Webb said. “For them, those parks are crucial.”

Mayor Sara Bost of Irvington, N.J., said parks can be considered even more important to city-dwellers because they often don’t have the backyards their suburban neighbors enjoy.

Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez), who helped craft the House bill, told the mayors Sunday that the spending plan “is needed to bring critical resources to our local communities.”

“This is the largest commitment we have made to the environment since the 1960s,” Miller said.

The proposal has drawn widespread bipartisan support, but critics have argued that the bill’s land conservation provision could threaten private property rights.

But for many in the mayors’ group, the primary issue is how to expand recreational opportunities for city residents. “People want bike paths and playgrounds and parks. Basic-level issues are what really affect people’s lives,” Morial said.