What is a National Park City
What we are, and what we're not
National Park Cities are long-term grassroots movements for everyone making their city greener, healthier, and wilder.
National Parks are defined differently around the world. They are special places where we have a better relationship with nature, culture and heritage and can enjoy and develop ourselves.
Combining the long-term and large-scale vision of National Parks with cities has the potential to shift our collective understanding of what and who a city is for. National Park Cities are not National Parks. But they are inspired by them.
Why we are here
With the majority of the world’s population now living in urban areas, the eyes of the world are on cities. National Park Cities are a way to rethink cities, their futures and how we inhabit them. They will improve the health of their citizens and play their part in stabilising our common climate, and restoring the natural world.
Our aim is for there to be at least 25 National Park Cities by 2025. We are pleased to work towards this aim with World Urban Parks and Salzburg Global, as well as other international partners.
A National Park City is a place, a vision and a city-wide community that is acting together to make life better for people, places and nature. A defining feature is the widespread commitment to act so people, culture and nature work together to provide a better foundation for life and so we can enjoy ourselves too.
It is long-term, large-scale, hyper- local, personal and intergenerational. Everyone in a National Park City has the potential to contribute and benefit every day.
Any urban area or region can apply to join the National Park City Family. But only cities can achieve National Park City status.
Becoming a National Park City
National Park City status is formally recognised by the National Park City Foundation following the 10 steps set out in our Journey Book, which leads to a successful portfolio submission, peer review, and in-person visit coordinated by the International Steering Group, and validated by representatives of Salzburg Global and World Urban Parks.
National Park Cities are not utopias. Like all cities they are messy, complicated, frustrating, and wonderful places in equal measure. Becoming a National Park City is not an award of excellence, rather it is about setting out the shared ambition, power and responsibility that exists within the city to create a place where people and nature are better connected.
The movement is about working together to tackle and overcome many of the complex challenges that cities face. No National Park Cities will ever have a perfect report card.
The purpose of the application and peer review process is to ensure that a candidate National Park City would be a suitable place, visionary, inclusive, supported and capable enough; would share National Park City values, goals, spirit and commitments; and contribute to the integrity of the National Park City vision, family and movement.
Why not get started on your National Park City Journey today?
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