“Everyone deserves a park within a 10 minute walk of home.” That’s the premise of an initiative of the Trust for Public Land, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association and the Urban Land Institute. Last year, the City of New Rochelle signed on to this mission, and is currently in the early stages of reviewing the accessibility of the existing City parks and trails with the purpose of developing a plan to insure that all users have safe 10 minute access.

To start, the City has developed a survey that allows community members to map where they access existing parks and trails, provide recommendation for improvements to their routes (such as adding a bike lane or repairing a sidewalk), and upload pictures. The website is designed to be used from smartphones or computers. Users can file multiple reports, on as many parks or trails as desired.

“With so many parks and natural areas throughout New Rochelle, we already have a high rate of accessibility,” said Parks and Recreation Commissioner Bill Zimmermann. “This survey will be useful in identifying areas that would benefit from better connections, especially for walking and cycling. We welcome participation from the entire community.”

With studies showing the value of parks for the physical, social, environmental and economic health of a community, the results will be used to guide the City in planning long-term, system-wide strategies for improvement.