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| Safe Routes to Parks Coalition | |
|---|---|
| Name | Safe Routes to Parks Coalition |
| Formation | 2017 |
| Type | Nonprofit coalition |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Region served | National |
| Focus | Urban planning; public health; transportation |
| Key people | Jessica [placeholder], Steven [placeholder] |
Safe Routes to Parks Coalition is a United States nonprofit coalition focused on improving access to urban and suburban parks through investments in walking, biking, and transit connections. Founded amid growing attention to equitable public health outcomes, the coalition brings together advocacy groups, municipal agencies, philanthropy, and research institutions to advance policy, funding, and design practices that link communities to open space.
The coalition emerged in the late 2010s, building on networks from the Safe Routes to School movement, the Trust for Public Land, and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Early convenings included representatives from National Recreation and Park Association, American Planning Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and local park agencies such as New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. Federal and state dialogues invoked precedents like the Federal Highway Administration's active transportation grants and municipal initiatives in Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. Philanthropic partners echoed strategies used by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and The JPB Foundation to prioritize equitable access.
The coalition's stated mission aligns with equitable access frameworks advocated by World Health Organization guidelines and research from institutions such as Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and University of California, Berkeley. Goals include increasing walking and biking infrastructure near parks modeled on standards from the National Association of City Transportation Officials and the Institute of Transportation Engineers, reducing disparities highlighted in studies by the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution, and advancing policy approaches reflected in the Green New Deal-aligned municipal plans.
Programs draw on implementation examples from the Complete Streets movement, the Play Streets initiative, and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. Initiatives include technical assistance informed by research at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, pilot projects akin to Healthy Cities demonstrations, community engagement modeled after Project for Public Spaces, and mapping efforts leveraging tools from Esri and the National Recreation and Park Association data platforms. The coalition promotes design guidance comparable to the Urban Land Institute's publications and demonstration projects similar to those funded by the National Endowment for the Arts' design grants.
The coalition partners with civic and philanthropic actors such as Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Groundwork USA, National League of Cities, and regional park conservancies like the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Funding approaches reflect blends used by Federal Transit Administration grant programs, state active-transportation funds in California, and foundations including Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Kresge Foundation. Collaborative grants have mirrored mechanisms used by Bloomberg Philanthropies and municipal bonds found in cities like Seattle and Denver.
Evaluations reference metrics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and academic assessments by University of Michigan School of Public Health and University of California, Los Angeles. Reported outcomes include increased walking and biking counts similar to those observed following Open Streets events in Bogotá and traffic-calming interventions seen in Copenhagen. Equity indicators draw on methods used by the Brookings Institution and Urban Institute to assess investments in historically under-resourced neighborhoods such as those studied in Atlanta, Chicago, and Baltimore.
The coalition has engaged in advocacy tactics paralleling campaigns by the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, legislative strategies reminiscent of Transportation Alternatives efforts in New York City, and coalition-building similar to Climate Mayors. Policy influence includes contributions to municipal plans like those in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and alignment with federal conversations involving the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration on active-transportation funding and program design.
The coalition comprises member organizations spanning advocacy, research, philanthropy, and municipal agencies, resembling networks such as the National Recreation and Park Association and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Leadership has included steering committees and working groups parallel to governance models used by ClimateWorks Foundation and National League of Cities, with technical advisory input from academic partners at institutions like Harvard University and University of California campuses.
Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States