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Updating the seven-year open space plan

How well is Boston’s park system working for you right now? Where do we want to be in seven years?

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The Open Space and Recreation Plan will provide an overview of what's going on in Boston's park system right now and then proposes actions for the next seven years. 

Draft content

Walkshed map
Updated from the 2015-2021 plan
View a map of walking access to parks in Boston.

Common terms

ACQUISITION:

In this context, acquisition is used to describe either:

  • the process of transferring ownership of a parcel to Parks and Recreation, and/or 
  • the process of creating open space on a parcel.
 
OPEN SPACE:

This term is used interchangeably with "parks". It can describe permanently protected and publicly accessible:

  • urban wilds and conservation lands
  • plazas
  • places with sports and other recreational opportunities
  • landscaped areas with seating

Vacant lots and buildings are not considered open space, nor are streets and sidewalks.

PARCEL:

Parcel is a real estate term describing an area of land owned by someone. There's an invisible line that denotes ownership and tax liability. This term is used interchangeably with "property." Often, multiple parcels can make up a park. For instance, Franklin Park is made up of a group of parcels that function as one continuous park. Sometimes only a portion of a parcel is devoted to a park.

PROTECTION:

Protection is a legal method to constrain types of development on a parcel, regardless of ownership, that conflict with its use as an open space. There are varying degrees of protection that affect:

  1. how long protection is in place, and
  2. what can happen on the parcel, and where.

The Parks and Recreation Department advocates for permanently protected and publicly accessible parcels. We want the public to have access to open space forever.

Related projects

Urban Forest Plan
Supporting Boston's leafy community members
The City's first-ever Urban Forest Plan aims to set lay a blueprint for maintaining and expanding Boston's urban forest in an environmentally just way.
Planning for Future Open Space
Parcel Priority Plan
This is a long-term visioning effort. You tell us where you'd like to see more open space, and what the City should prioritize when expanding access.
Heat Resilience Study
Preparing for extreme heat
The study focuses on areas where heat islands overlap with historically underserved communities. The goal is to find creative and community-driven solutions. These solutions will protect from the effects of climate change.

2015-2021 Open Space and Recreation Plan

2015-2021
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