New Bedford 2020 - VHB.com

A City Master Plan New Bedford 2020> Create “green guides” for open space, parks, pocket parks, and community gardens in the city;> Adopt and promote a “buy local” program to support local agriculture and community gardens;> Address water quality issues and combined sewerage overflows (CSOs);> Enhance opportunities for renewable energy; and> Develop a plan for rising sea levels.New Bedford’s location along the southcoast ofMassachusetts combined with our history and architecturecreates a unique landscape that makes our port city rich indiverse open space and recreational opportunities. We mustcapitalize on our location and assets to enhance the qualityof life in our neighborhoods and attract people andcommerce to our city. We must continue to improve themanagement of our parks and recreational systems toachieve our goals of greening our neighborhoods as well asproviding recreational and cultural opportunities for all ofour residents. We must strive to become a sustainablecommunity through a variety of methods from communitygardens and buying local programs to retrofittingmunicipal buildings and vehicle fleets to establishing NewBedford as the center for manufacturing renewableresources, such as wind, solar, and biomass.An extensive, well-located, and diverse open space andrecreational system is essential to our success andsustainability. A well-planned parks and trails systemensures quality of life for residents, provides relief from“urban heat island” effect, improves community health,increases property values, and makes our city appealing tovisitors and businesses.Credit: Raymond KhalifeUrban Heat Island is a term that refers to the tendencyfor urban, inner-city areas to have warmer airtemperatures than the surrounding rural landscape due tothe low albedo, or limited ability to reflect light, of streets,pavements, vehicle parking lots, and buildings. Thesesurfaces absorb solar radiation during the day and releaseit at night resulting in higher night temperatures.Existing Open Space and Natural Resource ConditionsThe information provided below focuses on open space resources, both passive and active recreation, andnatural resources, such as water, wetlands, and wildlife. Much of the information presented below issummarized from the 2008 OSRP and the New Bedford/Fairhaven Municipal Harbor Plan 2010. 3Water ResourcesNew Bedford has six major bodies of water, which include the New Bedford Harbor, Acushnet River,Paskamansett River, and three ponds—Sassaquin, Turners and Buttonwood. For the majority of its length, thePaskamansett River is an acidic, low gradient swamp stream, beginning as an outlet to Turners Pond, a manmadepond that is fed by the Acushnet Cedar Swamp. The Paskamansett mainly supports warm water fishcommunities and also acts as a run for river herring during their annual migration. Turners Pond is animpoundment at the head of the Paskamansett River.3 http://www.newbedford-ma.gov/planning/NewBedfordFairhavenHarborPlan.PDFOpen Space, Recreation and Natural Resources8-2