The National Park City Foundation, in conjunction with Salzburg Global Seminar and World Urban Parks are pleased to announce that five more cities have been successfully nominated to become National Park Cities on UN World Cities Day, aiming to join London and Adelaide as established National Park Cities.
We are proud to recognise the combined efforts of grassroots, civil society, and city government teams in each of Breda, Chattanooga, Glasgow, Rotterdam, and Southampton. Each campaign team has demonstrated that they have an active movement with at least 200 supporting partners, and have shown their commitment to work towards submitting their applications to be recognised as National Park Cities.
National Park Cities are grassroots movements for people making their cities greener, healthier and wilder. London became the world’s first National Park City in 2019 with Adelaide becoming the second in 2021.
Inspired by the world’s National Parks, National Park Cities work together for better lives, health and wellbeing, relationships with nature, responsible consumption, improved places, habitats, air, water, sea and land, and time outdoors, culture, art, playing, walking, and cycling. Each city will develop their own version of the Universal Charter For National Park Cities which was originally created through collaborative efforts amongst people in 50 countries.
The National Park City Foundation is aiming for 25 cities to become Nominated and Established National Park Cities by 2025, and are especially keen to hear from grassroots and city leaders in fast urbanising cities in Africa, South America and Asia who are inspired by the possibility of their city becoming a National Park City.
Mark Cridge, Executive Director of the National Park City Foundation said; “Having followed the development of each city’s campaign over at least the past 18 months the National Park City Foundation is confident that each campaign has demonstrated the passion, motivation, and ability to successfully become a National Park City over the next 18 to 24 months.”
Each city will now work with their communities to develop the necessary partnerships across each city comprising grassroots organisations, culture, art, academic, sport, business and governmental supporters. The process they will follow is set out in the Journey Book which details the 10 steps and 23 assessed criteria that each will be judged against.
UN World Cities Day comes at the culmination of Urban October where national governments, local authorities, the private sector, and other urban practitioners are encouraged to mark the day by organising events through workshops or webinars, panel discussions and interviews.
Daniel Raven-Ellison, Founder of the National Park Cities Movement said: “These inspiring teams across six cities will each make excellent additions to the National Park City family, and we’re excited to learn and be inspired by their approach to collaboration and public engagement, and bring this learning to the wider National Park family.”
London and Adelaide have led the way in bringing the National Park City story to life, inspiring tens of thousands of citizens to take practical greening and biodiversity action within their communities, supported by our volunteer National Park City Rangers who inspire people to make their streets and communities greener, healthier and wilder.