Why Everyone in San Francisco Lives Within a 10-Minute Walk to a Park — Episode 014

In today’s episode, we’re taking a look at a city and mayor who
have done some incredible work when it comes to park access. The
city is San Francisco, California. Unfortunately, since recording
this podcast, we were saddened to hear that San Francisco’s Mayor
Ed Lee tragically passed away unexpectedly. Mayor Lee was an
extremely passionate advocate for San Francisco’s parks, and
under his leadership, the city made park and recreation programs
more accessible than ever to its citizens. In May 2017, Mayor Lee
announced that San Francisco was the first and only city in the
nation where 100 percent of the residents live within a 10-minute
walk to a park.


We recently had the privilege of speaking with San Francisco
Recreation and Parks General Manager, Phil Ginsburg, about
becoming the first city to achieve the goal of the 10-Minute Walk
campaign — which is a testament to San Francisco’s great work and
the legacy of Mayor Lee.


Ginsburg says that this is one of the city’s proudest
accomplishments, and that there may not be anything more
important than ensuring that all of the city’s residents have
access to green space and recreational opportunities. He says
that the work is never done, however, and it is essential to
focus on the quality of these parks — ensuring that all residents
can enjoy inspiring parks with diverse recreational amenities
that are clean, safe, fun and well programmed — instead of just
the quantity.


Ginsburg goes on to explain that high quality parks provide a
wide range of benefits to people living in cities, which include:


Physical health benefits

Mental health benefits

Opportunities to be physically active

Opportunities to connect with nature

Economic benefits

Economic benefits/climate resiliency



Of course, all records were made to be broken, so Ginsburg
invites all other cities and agencies to be part of the “100
Percent Club,” where all of their citizens live within a
10-minute walk to a park.


To learn more about how you can help bring more great parks to
your city and the communities that need them, check out the
10-Minute Walk Campaign.