Page 17 - KCMO Parks Master Plan 2032

the concept of the “10-minute walk.” The work to incorporate green building practices in a
by the Trust for Public Land in their creation of the visible way and also to tell the story of our natural
“Park Score Index” for hundreds of cities across environments. The documents that touched on
the country perhaps solidified this notion that we indoor facilities most directly were the previous
need to be planning for parks so that folks need Parks and Rec Master Plan Update of 2015 and
walk no more than 10 minutes (about a half mile) the Parks and Rec Strategic Business Plan of
to reach one. Parks are vital civic infrastructure. 2020. The former recommended adding over
The KC Walkability Plan and Trails KC Plan 480,000 square feet of new community center
advocate for them as trail heads. KC Blueprint space by the year 2019 and specifically in the
and the KC Physical Activity Plan advocated under-served areas of the city such as the far
for them to help keep our neighborhoods more north. The later plan recommended improving
connected, healthy, and safe. These previous the internal and external communications
plans also urged us to plant more plants in our practices to improve the customer experience at
park spaces. Both the Urban Forest and Parks these centers. Both plans urged the department
and Rec Sustainability Master Plan called for an to study the true cost of programming and other
expansion of sustainable resource management. services offered to achieve better cost recovery.
The Regional Climate Action Plan established Both plans also advocated for developing
benchmarks for increasing urban tree canopies partnerships to enhance the program offerings in
and healthy riparian areas to build resilience in these facilities.
the face of climate change. Lastly, these plans
advocated for the activation of parks as the TRAILS
hallmark of a great city. The KC Physical Activity
Plan specifically called for us to “Re-imagine Trails have been a hot topic in Kansas City ever
parks as a “third choice” amenity, where they are since the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC)
recognized as a welcoming alternative place for published the MetroGreen Plan in 2001. Trails and
families and communities to gather, other than the benefits they provide the city were mentioned
their work or home. “ in plans from across all sectors. The Regional

FACILITIES Climate Action Plan calls for more trails because
they reduce our carbon footprint by facilitating
more non-motorized forms of transportation and
Previous plans such as the Parks and Rec build climate resiliency by preserving forested
Sustainability Master Plan and the Blue River and riparian habitats. The KC Stream Asset
Action Plan recognized the power that our Inventory and the more recent Blue River Action
community centers have to educate our Plan also recognized the ability our trail corridors
citizens. They advocated for indoor facilities have to preserve riparian corridors from over

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