Green space abounds in Boston, but can you ever have too much?
JetBlue doesn't think so. Their latest campaign focuses on sustainability and offsetting carbon emissions from their operations. And they're willing to back the goal by donating $50,000 to the city that gets the most votes for a brand spankin' new green space. Boston happens to be one of those cities in the running, along with New York, Washington DC, Austin, Orlando, Salt Lake City, and Fort Lauderdale. As of this writing, Boston is in third place with 59,761 votes.
The City of Boston would be one such entity that would like to win. Given the goals in their Open Space Plan, which recognizes the need to assess all of the city's green space to guide planning efforts through the year 2021, we need to see more green. Why? Well, Boston boasts exceptional walkability, which is enhanced partly by the connective thread of parks. But disparity exists in the quality from one community to the next. If the city's rate of growth remains constant, the population will grow by 3.7 percent by 2020 and 7.6 percent by 2030. To accommodate these extra people and maintain the same ration of 7.59 acres per 1000 residents, there needs to be another 173 acres of protected open space by 2020, and another 451 acres by 2030. And, ideally, that new green space would come to some of the neighborhoods that don't quite have space that's on the level of the Greenway or the Public Garden.
So show some city pride and vote--maybe you'll get your way, even if you don't during the presidential election.
- Green City Vote [JetBlue]
- Open Space and Recreation Plan [City of Boston]
Loading comments...