Betsy Price, mayor of Fort Worth, Texas
Betsy Price has served as mayor of Fort Worth for three years. ?I just love it,? she says. ?I love getting out and figuring out what makes cities tick.?
Parks, she says, are among those assets, and are essential in keeping cities viable.
Using parks to improve community engagement, Price orchestrated ?Rolling Town Halls,? where every week she bicycles through communities, usually starting at a park, to meet with residents. On Saturdays the Rolling Town Hall becomes a walking tour, with Price strolling through parks, listening to community concerns.
Price says parks play into the overall health of a community. Residents with active lifestyles have fewer health problems and likely lower healthcare costs. When these costs are low, businesses are more attracted to a community. ?A healthy community is economic development,? Price says.
Price is also co-chair of the City Parks Alliance, an organization of 60+ mayors working to get federal leaders to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. A portion of the money from this fund is scheduled to go to state and local governments to build parks and green spaces.
?The bully pulpit mayors have is amazing,? Price says. ?[We?re] where the rubber meets the road.?
