The City of Boston is preparing a new citywide Open Space Plan for the years 2015 to 2021. As part of this effort, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department has developed a questionnaire to enable the public to provide valuable input about their park use and preferences.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino understands the importance that Boston’s citizens place on open space and parks and the need for balanced development. With that in mind, the Parks Department is developing a multi-year integrated plan for open space protection and development.
The Open Space Plan will look at all public open space, regardless of ownership, including parks, playgrounds, squares, malls, urban wilds, community gardens, cemeteries, greenways, trails, thoroughfares, and harbor islands. The Plan will also look at city residents to understand demographic and socio-economic trends which impact the use of open space.
As part of the data collection process, an environmental inventory is compiled enabling natural areas to be targeted for protection and stewardship in a priority plan. Natural features of our parks, rivers and harbors, wildlife, geologic features, soils, and vegetation become part of this truly comprehensive Open Space Plan.
Public participation is crucial to the success of the Plan and the key ingredient to helping us make our parks and open spaces better. The Department is reaching out to users of the parks, playgrounds, and other open spaces in the city, both residents and visitors, to learn about how they use open space in Boston and how their experience can be improved.
PLEASE FILL OUT THE QUESTIONNAIRE ONLINE!! IT’S EASY AND QUICK. You will find links to the questionnaire in English, Spanish, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Cape Verdean Creole, and Portuguese available at http://www.cityofboston.gov/parks/about/questionnaire.asp.
