Great urban parks and open spaces serve important functions at the neighborhood level, as well as at city and regional scales. They provide places for all residents to relax, play, exercise, explore, congregate, and build community. They provide needed "lungs" in a city with lots of concrete, tall buildings and cars. Our parks are some of the best things about Seattle- think about a walk around Greenlake on a sunny day, or playing soccer at Cal Anderson, riding your bike on the Burke-Gilman trail, watching the sunset at Alki beach or taking your kids to pay at Georgetown playfield. They have been a major part of our history, too- check out the photo of Greenlake in the 1930s, to the left (courtesy of City of Seattle Parks and Rec).
As the population living in Seattle continues to grow, and some parts of the city increase in density, parks serve a critical function building community and making NEIGHBORHOODS LIVABLE.
This November, VOTE YES ON PROPOSITION TWO, and VOTE FOR SEATTLE PARKS FOR ALL. The results will include more open spaces, new parks, trails and playfields, and 32 major improvements at neighborhood parks. Visit the Seattle Parks for All webpage to find out how to get involved in the campaign.
Certainly, parks are a major part of a Sustainable Seattle and a better quality of life for all of us. Parks directly enhance the community-determined sustainability goals of livable neighborhoods.
Visit www.b-sustainable.org to see how many acres of parks and open space we already have, and how parks contribute to our community sustainability.
And ponder this question- do parks contribute to neighborhood social cohesion? Visit Communities Count to see how King County residents currently evaluate their neighborhood social cohesion- and ask yourself, can we improve those levels?
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