U.S. Conference of Mayors Urge Passage of the Outdoors for All Act City Parks: A Smart Investment for America's Health, Economy, and Environment
Adopted at the 92nd Annual Meeting in 2024
WHEREAS, city parks are essential infrastructure for 21st century citites. Parks are now recognized as important tools for a high quality of life, community health, economic vitality, and environmental improvements; and
WHEREAS, cities are the engines generating our nation's prosperity, keeping America competitive in the rapidly changing global market, and the most economically sound cities are the ones with ample and healthy parks and open spaces; and
WHEREAS, parks provide enormous physical and mental health benefits; residents with safe, accessible parks are more likely to exercise regularly, and as a result have increased rates of overall health, including lower rates of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease; and
WHEREAS, residents within a short walking distance of a safe park are significantly less likely to suffer from stress, anxiety or depression than residents further from a park; and
WHEREAS, children living near parks have greater opportunities to be physically active by running, walking or participating in other recreational activities, thereby helping to combat the problem that one in three children in the U.S. are overweight or obese; and
WHEREAS, research shows that time spent in parks reduces attention deficits in children and the effects of a walk in a park are even similar to the effects of common ADHD medication; and
WHEREAS, parks provide tremendous economic benefits by creating jobs, generating economic activity, and increasing property tax revenue for cities; and
WHEREAS, a key factor in business expansion and location decisions is the quality of life for employees, with a premium placed on adequate parks and open space; and
WHEREAS, as cities become more densely populated, and concern about the impact of climate change increases, planners, elected officials, and community advocates are turning to parks to help address critical urban infrastructure and public health issues; and
WHEREAS, parks provide enormous green infrastructure benefits; parks and green spaces absorb carbon and clean the air, soak up and slow stormwater, limiting the severity of flooding, and make cities cooler; and
WHEREAS, investment in mixed-use infrastructure projects -- those that include both parks and green space -- is building a strong track record of leveraging public funds with private capital to address many urban challenges, including those relating to transportation, stormwater management, and access to recreation; and
WHEREAS, city parks take on different forms, from signature downtown parks to reclaimed industrial railways and corridors, and are now recognized as an important part of modernized transportation systems, connecting neighborhoods to businesses; and
WHEREAS, low-income communities, which have fewer trees and parks and more paved surfaces, are often hit hardest by the impact of climate change, such as flooding, extreme heat and reduced air quality; and
WHEREAS, despite the enormous economic, physical, mental, environmental, and community benefits and cost savings that parks provide, public funding for parks—especially in distressed communities where their multiple benefits are most needed—is limited and not keeping up with demand; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors believes in equitable access; that everyone living in urban areas should have equal access to parks, green spaces and recreational opportunities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) is a federal program that assists in providing parks and recreation to all by providing grants to cities for park projects in underserved commununities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in its short existence, ORLP has created parks on former brownfield sites and industrial lands, developed dual-use spaces for recreation and green infrastructure stormwater management that builds resilient communities, and improved accessibility of playgrounds so that all can participate in play; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Outdoors for All Act would codify the ORLP so that the city park grant program can never be eliminated; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that there is bipartisan support in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to pass a federal outdoor recreation legislative package that includes the Outdoors for All Act; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges Congress to pass a federal outdoor recreation legislative package that includes the Outdoors for All Act in 2024.