CHARLES  RIVER  PARKLANDS  UPDATE
September 2002
Archives—Table of Contents

Parklands Roundtable Calls For Action

In the midst of a growing movement to "re-green" parklands throughout Eastern Massachusetts, representatives of over 15 organizations and institutions met in Cambridge under the auspices of the Charles River Conservancy this past spring. Their purpose? To frame a policy paper that would help political candidates for state and local offices better understand the most important issues underlying the renewal of the Charles River Parklands, the "keystone" of the metropolitan park system.

Discussion was lively and thoughtful, leading to a shared recognition that our political leaders must become more familiar with the impediments and opportunities surrounding Parklands renewal. A "Green Ribbon" commission, convened in the mid-90s, highlighted the extraordinary benefits to be gained from renewing the metropolitan system, while more recently a MDC master plan for the Charles River Basin Parklands has been approved, announced and slowly put into action.

As a result of the spring discussions, a "Policy Perspective and Action Plan" was formulated, highlighting the central importance of the Charles River Parklands and calling for the appropriation of funds to accommodate the implementation of the Master Plan. Seven other key points relating to the Parklands' future included in the document focus on such critical areas as: community input, stewardship, integrity of government's commitment to the Parklands, preservation of open space, resident and visitor access, better governance and strong leadership.

A brief demographic study undertaken by the Conservancy at the time of the Roundtable revealed some striking but not unexpected information, including: a substantial fraction of Greater Boston's population, over 400,000, lives within two miles of the Charles River Parklands, in the area just east of the Watertown Dam; more than 50,000 people work within 1/4 mile of the Parklands; the Parklands are visited by upwards of 3 million people annually.

As this edition of Parklands was going to press, the "Policy Perspective and Action Plan" was being readied for presentation to the candidates. Eight organizations, along with the Conservancy, had given the document their full endorsement, including: the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Association of Cambridge Neighborhood Associations, the Esplanade Association, Friends of Magazine Beach, Friends of Herter Park, the Friends of Riverbend Park, WalkBoston and Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety. Look for an article in the spring edition of Parklands containing the full text of the document and reporting on the outcome of this important initiative.

Charles River Parklands is published by The Charles River Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of the Basin parklands of the Charles River.

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Email: crc@thecharles.org

© 2002, The Charles River Conservancy.