Chattanooga Mayor, Andy Berke, to address campaign participants at event reception

Ashburn, Va. (Feb. 28, 2019) — The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), in partnership with the City of Chattanooga, will host a two-day training event, March 5-6, 2019, for a group of 10-Minute Walk campaign cities awarded funding this year. The event will include a reception where Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke will address campaign participants during a reception at The Hunter Museum of American Art. In 2018, the City of Chattanooga received a campaign grant from NRPA, along with The Trust for Public Land and the Urban Land Institute, to support city planning and policy efforts that help increase access to high-quality, close-to-home parks and public green space.

“In Chattanooga, we want to connect people to open spaces in and around their communities, which is why we are pleased to work with the National Recreation and Park Association on their 10-Minute Walk campaign,” Berke said. “We’re honored they wanted to host their campaign training here in the Scenic City and we look forward to working with and learning from other amazing cities.”

Campaign participants from cities such as Denver, Colorado, Los Angeles, California, and Memphis, Tennessee, will discuss methods to create more equitable park systems through planning, policies and funding solutions. In addition, participants will engage in hands-on workshops at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and tour Chattanooga’s great parks to understand how to honor the history of our land and acquire new park spaces to increase access to greenspace for all.

“Thank you to the City of Chattanooga and Mayor Andy Berke for hosting this training event with us,” said Rebecca Wickline, NRPA senior vice president of development. “This important work is key to the success of the campaign and we are excited to host our other campaign cities in a place that proudly supports the 10-Minute Walk vision.” 

Launched in 2017, the 10-Minute Walk campaign establishes the ambitious goal that everyone in the United States should live within a 10-minute walk (or half-mile) of a high-quality park or green space. A bipartisan group of more than 220 mayors have joined this effort. Specifically, the campaign aims to work with mayors to bring about city- and regional-level changes in three main areas: planning, funding and policies. 

The campaign was built on research that shows access to high-quality parks within a half mile of home deliver a wide range of benefits for urban residents and cities. These include reducing crime rates, improving mental and physical health outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety and obesity), increasing city revenues, and protecting communities from more flooding, extreme temperatures and other impacts from climate change.

To learn more about the campaign, visit www.10minutewalk.org.

To learn more about NRPA, visit www.nrpa.org. 

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About the National Recreation and Park Association
The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all Americans have access to parks and recreation for health, conservation and social equity. Through its network of 60,000 recreation and park professionals and advocates, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy and active lifestyles, conservation initiatives and equitable access to parks and public space. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit www.parksandrecreation.org.