October 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 58

When
government
acts
decisively
and with
vision, it
presents
new
possibilities.

Mayor Michael Nutter

Parks & Recreation

Released in 2009, just a year after Mayor Nutter took office, the Greenworks Philadelphia plan
includes 15 measurable targets to be reached by
2015. The ﬁve major goal areas include energy
consumption (both by the city government and by
residents and businesses), environmental protection (reducing air pollution and solid waste), equity
(such as more green space and improved access to
parks and healthy food), economic progress (improved transportation options and encouraging
green industries), and engagement (such as tree
planting and community partnerships).
" We're well on our way to achieving many of the
Greenworks goals, " Nutter says. " Working with our
partners both inside and outside of the administration, we have reduced our municipal energy
use by 5 percent, more than tripled our curbside
residential recycling rates, added more than 200
acres of new parks and open space, and completed 428 miles of bike lanes. Halfway through
our implementation timeline, we've completed or
started work on about 89 percent of the Greenworks initiatives. "
Greenworks targets are now interwoven
throughout city planning, such as the city's latest overall ﬁve-year plan and its new zoning code,
which Nutter says will help ensure that sustainability will continue to be a part of Philadelphia's
future even after the 2015 Greenworks timeline.
And a major component of his drive to make Philadelphia the greenest city in the nation is parks
and recreation.
" My administration is structured that way to
promote efficiencies and connections across city
departments, " Nutter says. " Parks and recreation
facilities play a major role in helping Philadelphia
be a city where people want to live, learn, work,
and play. I think the competitive, attractive, livable cities of the future are those that care about
their natural resources and provide children and
| OCTOBER 2012 | WWW.NRPA.ORG

families with opportunities to be safe, active, and
engaged. "
The city's renowned park system is very familiar to Michael Nutter, who is a Philadelphia native.
" I grew up at 55th & Larchwood in West Philadelphia. What is now Malcolm X Park was only a
few blocks away, and I used to go there all the time.
I also played football on Belmont Plateau in West
Fairmount Park when I was older, " Nutter recalls.
" The park system was, and still is, an incredible
resource for young people in our city-having a
green space to run around and be active, get some
fresh air, and just hang out is vital for the health
and well-being of all our city's residents, but especially our children. "
Educated at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Nutter has been committed
to public service since his youth in West Philadelphia. He served almost 15 years on the Philadelphia City Council, earning the reputation of a
reformer, before his election as mayor of Philadelphia in 2008. He is still a fan and regular user
of the city's parks.
" My favorite park is Fairmount Park, the largest municipal park system in the nation. It consists of 63 parks and covers 9,200 acres, " Nutter
says. " Not only does it provide a lush, green oasis in the middle of a thoroughly modern city, it
also houses some of our city's greatest treasures....
Fairmount Park is the lifeline of our city and one
of the features that makes Philadelphia a great
place to live and work. "
Stormwater management is one example of
how open space plays a role in achieving many
interlinked goals. In April 2012, the city signed the
Green City, Clean Waters Partnership Agreement
with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
This innovative federal-municipal partnership between EPA and Philadelphia's Water Department
creates green stormwater infrastructure to reduce

October 2012 - Parks & Recreation

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