New Bedford 2020 - VHB.com

A City Master Plan New Bedford 20208Open Space, Recreation and Natural ResourcesOverviewIn the 1860s, New Bedford began to transition from a thrivingwhaling port to a national leader of textile manufacturing. As aresult our working population grew dramatically and denseworkforce triple decker housing was developed throughout thecity to meet the need. During this time, the City recognized theneed for open space and the first City Common (today referred toas Clasky Common) was created. At the turn of century, NewBedford’s city planners participated in the City Beautiful nationalmovement and, in 1892, strived to create a municipal park systembeginning with the purchase of land for Buttonwood Park.Today, New Bedford boasts an abundance of recreationalopportunities including: six major parks; 15 neighborhood parks;more than 12 miles of trails and bikeways; 26 acres of beaches; aswell as numerous public and private baseball, football, and soccerfields. The City is also a member of Tree City USA. Included in our system of open space and recreationalassets are the Whaling City Golf Course (originally designed by world-renowned golf course designer, DonaldJ. Ross) and the Buttonwood Park Zoo, which has been called “one of the finest small zoos in the UnitedStates” by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Additionally, in 2009, the City partnered with CommunityRowing Inc. to make rowing available to public school children and adults in New Bedford.Similar to the public input findings that were part of the City’s 2008–2013 Open Space and Recreation Plan(OSRP), 2 the civic engagement process for New Bedford 2020 focused on the need to:> Harness the city’s open space, culture, and architecture for tourism (both residents and visitors);> Improve and enhance our community’s access to the water;> Capitalize on our beaches for residents and visitors;> Create and/or update park plans, including maintenance and budgeting;> Plan and construct a citywide multi-use greenway/riverwalk;Birth of the City Beautiful Movement: Tired ofcity sprawl and decay, the urban middle andupper classes began to organize towards civicactivism in the 1890s. Greatly motivated bytheir own desires to protect their propertyvalues, these affluent men and their wivesdesired to elevate the living conditions of thoseunable to do so themselves. By promoting"urban beauty" and city improvements, suchas treated water, and clean streets and parks,these reformers felt they could positivelyinfluence the minds and souls of city dwellers,making them contributors to the greater good. 1> Develop a program/schedule for the greening of our neighbors (i.e., community gardens; street trees);1 Wilson, William H. The City Beautiful Movement. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989. (The City Beautiful Movement and Harrisburg's Old 8th Ward website:http://www.old8thward.com/citybeautiful.htm taken on 09/17/10.)2 The Commonwealth recognizes this importance and encourages each community in the State to have a current Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP), which is to beupdated every five years. New Bedford’s OSRP was completed in 2008.Open Space, Recreation and Natural Resources8-1