Recovering, Restoring and Renewing America's Great Urban Parks: an Agenda for the Nation A City Parks Alliance Policy Document

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1 A Policy Document More than at any time in our history, urban areas are the engines generating our nation s wealth keeping America competitive in the rapidly changing global market. As supporters of America s urban parks, calls for a new national agenda that will catalyze all levels of government and all sectors of the community to engage in a national effort to recover, restore and enhance urban parks. A federal investment strategy is needed that recognizes parks as a national economic priority, leverages their potential to create healthier and more vibrant cities, and supports the development of diverse and sustainable funding mechanisms. Cities hold the economic key to the future of the global economy. Nations that foster livable cities which support vibrant populations and highly skilled workforces will be winners in the intensely competitive global marketplace of the future. World-class workforces now have unfettered location options worldwide and are actively choosing to live in urban centers that support their needs. Knowledge workers, workers in creative industries, families and young people all will choose urban areas that offer a diverse economic base and amenities that contribute to an excellent quality of life. One of the most important but least recognized essentials to an attractive and healthy urban environment is a well designed and well maintained network of city parks an essential component of any city s infrastructure. Parks support public health, workforce development, the economy, the environment, education and community cohesion. They are critical to creating sustainable, livable and vibrant cities. While America s urban parks are well situated to help America meet this competitive challenge, little federal funding currently supports this national imperative. American urban parks are supported at the local, state and federal levels but remain severely underfunded, especially at the federal level. America must be prepared to help its cities compete in the emerging global marketplace. America s rapidly realigning housing patterns will place new demands on the nation s urban parks. Constraints on fossil fuel and other resources, climate change imperatives, commuting dysfunctions, and a host of available facilities, infrastructure and amenities are luring Americans back toward the centers of our urban engines of national wealth. Families relocating from exurban housing built around small personal green spaces are Page 1

2 A Policy Document demanding public green spaces which are close, safe, beautiful, and well maintained -- with a full array of recreation and community opportunities. During his presidential campaign, then-senator Obama took the position that it was unacceptable in terms of public policy that fewer than 50 percent of urban youth live within walking distance of safe and well maintained recreation areas. Efficient provision of green spaces to so many would meet critical national needs involving health and the environment, community and economic development, crime prevention, civic engagement, and many others. In one major city study, for example, its parks were found to contribute $115 million in annual tourist spending, $23 million in annual supplemental tax receipts, $16 million in annual public cost savings due to factors such as storm water management and air pollution reduction, $689 million of private wealth creation through enhanced commercial and residential property values, and $69 million in value for the public health. 1 In spite of these intensifying national trends and important national priorities, little federal funding currently supports America s urban parks. Urban parks need greater federal support. New federal legislative approaches to urban infrastructure reinvestment, such as federal infrastructure bonds and/or a federal infrastructure bank, are now being considered. If America is to sustain the wealth-creating function of its urban areas, and thus its competitive position in the world, such a reinvestment is essential. But it is unlikely America will remain successful in recruiting and retaining a world-class workforce unless this federal policy dialogue around urban infrastructure reinvestment incorporates urban parks and recreation programs. Urban parks have fostered a vital network of privatepublic partnerships to sustain them. Their private support could also be greatly enhanced with relatively low cost federal tax incentives. This is a time of opportunity and challenge for America s urban areas and their parks. Today, 65% of Americans live and play in just the 100 largest of the nation s metropolitan areas which occupy only 12% of the nation s land mass but which produce two-thirds of our nation s jobs and three-fourths of the nation s gross domestic product. 1 How Much Value Does the City of Philadelphia Receive from its Park and Recreation System, Trust for Public Land Center for City Park Excellence, 2008 Page 2

3 A Policy Document In the past decade, the population of the nation s largest 50 cities grew by nearly 10 percent, and this trend will only intensify as commuting dysfunctions and the impacts of reliance on fossil fuels continue to intensify. The rise in city incomes outpaced the national average during this period. Concentrated poverty in cities actually fell 24 percent in the last decade and crime decreased. Although there was increase in city incomes, current economic problems have left urban areas with a growing problem of vacant houses, depressed property values, tighter credit and a likely need to temporarily cut local services to close budget shortfalls. US home values have already dropped trillions of dollars since the current economic downtown began, and this dramatic devaluation is hitting property tax driven municipal budgets the hardest. Urban parks programming, maintenance and land acquisition budgets are all being adversely affected and they were not robust to begin. Alternative supplemental funding sources are now necessary to support the essential recovery and restoration of our urban parks. Worldwide economic competition among nations to create livable and desirable cities and, thereby, to attract businesses, industry, jobs and a skilled workforce will likely continue despite faltering financial and housing sectors in America. During this difficult economic time, our nation must make prudent investments with the limited federal dollars available. Urban parks can do more to help address additional national priorities with relatively modest federal supplements, showing wise investment with many returns. Urban parks provide opportunities for education programs and daily access to physical activity such as fitness, walking, and biking programs for any federal initiative designed to counter the nationwide epidemic of obesity and unhealthy lifestyles. 2 Access to parks and recreational facilities has been shown to double the likelihood of people getting recommended levels of physical activity. 3 Urban parks are learning centers for the next generation of environmental stewards. They provide places for children to reconnect with nature, reducing sedentary time in front of computer screens and TV sets and increasing time engaged in active learning. Urban parks can provide innovative lower cost and natural solutions for ecological problems such as storm water run-off and non-point source pollution, resulting in major economic returns through clean air credits and improved health. An Urban Ecosystem Analysis conducted by American Forests revealed that in 2 The Health Benefits of Parks, Trust for Public Land, The Health Benefits of Parks, Trust for Public Land, 2007 Page 3

4 A Policy Document one major US urban area, trees remove 19 million pounds of pollutants each year providing a service valued at $47 million. Urban parks have also been used as redevelopment tools, producing dramatic reductions in surrounding vacancy rates by upwards of 40%. In the wake of the sub-prime meltdown, a federal initiative countering concentrations of abandoned and foreclosed properties could have valuable results. Recent federal initiatives to counteract the sub-prime mortgage crisis should include investment in America s urban parks. In an earlier era, the federal government sponsored a summer youth recreation program to provide an organized recreation alternative to delinquency among inner-city youth. A similar new summer program initiative utilizing urban parks could provide not only recreation but also green jobs and training to improve the marketable skills of inner-city youth. The list of program possibilities to achieve national priorities through urban parks goes on: They can be tourist attractions, generating new business and tax revenues. They can provide low-cost, close-to-home recreational opportunities for families. And they can be centers for civic engagement. All of this can be achieved at modest cost since needed facilities and equipment are often already in place. Last year, the leadership of the 110 th Congress proposed investing $22 billion of new annual federal funding into a variety of program priorities such as education, health care, health research, transportation, and housing. This amount represents only about two percent of the entire federal discretionary budget, reflecting the current period of slow growth and constrained revenues. Since this Congress has not succeeded in securing these spending increases, its reinvestment plan will be deferred to the next Congress. At that time, even a small portion of such a federal reinvestment plan could have dramatic effects upon urban parks and the urban communities they serve. This modest federal investment will help to recruit and sustain America s competitive workforce, and will help address critical national priorities in health and the environment, community and economic development, crime prevention and civic engagement. Ensuring that America s resurgent urban population is safer, healthier, happier, better educated, and more engaged in the future of its communities by recovering and restoring America s urban parks -- would certainly be prudent. Page 4

5 A Policy Document To make such wise investment choices, the federal government should consider at least two steps: 1) Take full advantage of America s existing urban parks (and, thereby, help recover and restore these critical national assets) by making urban parks part of our infrastructure of federal health, education, environment, community and economic development programs. Fund urban parks and make use of them as a crucial American resource. 2) Maximize the value and leveraging of limited, new federal dollars for public recreation priorities by creating a) New and dedicated federal funding sources for urban parks, and b) Tax incentives to enhance private funding and philanthropy for urban parks, and to encourage the already established network of private-public partnerships supporting them. Specifically, is asking the federal government to consider the following: Build sustainable communities through smart growth that supports parks and green spaces using funding from the Transportation Department s SAFETea-Lu legislation for trails, bikeways and enhancements. Reintroduce the Healthy Places Act, which will help local governments create better designed communities to ensure that there are safe, well-maintained outdoor exercise and recreation spaces for all citizens. Foster economic prosperity and support urban parks by including training for parks maintenance, landscaping and other parks related jobs in the Workforce Investment Act and the Green Jobs Improvement Act under the Department of Labor. Fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery Act initiatives, while strengthening facilitation of the programs and delivery of the funds to grantees. Provide stimulus to older industrial cities by funding qualified applications for both the Environmental Protection Agency s Brownfields Cleanup and Site Assessment, and the New Market Tax Credit programs. Support Representative Blumenauer s Water Infrastructure Bank Bill addressing stormwater management. Page 5

6 A Policy Document Enable parks to better address air quality by amending the Clean Air Act to require or create incentives for including an expansion of urban tree canopy in State Implementation Plans for meeting air quality standards. Parks are a great American institution. America s great urban parks represent a true American institution the democratic space where all people, regardless of economic or social background, can come together on common ground. New York City took a bold step when it set aside significant land for a public green space in the mid-1850s. With the subsequent creation and design of Central Park by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1857, America took its place in the world as a leader in providing healthy urban environments as part of the basic infrastructure of its cities. The urban parks movement that lasted well into the early part of the 20 th century left America with a magnificent system of parks that distinguished this country until recent history when decisions were made to disinvest in urban infrastructure. Greatly in need of repair, renewal and program support, these parks constitute an unequalled social and ecological resource that can serve our most highly stressed urban populations. Repair and restoration of these existing facilities and increased programming is an economical, sustainable best use of limited American dollars. And such a reinvestment would once again give America the chance to re-claim its place in the worldwide marketplace of locations as a nation that supports its citizens and great cities. Page 6