April 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 12

Front Page
Meet the Mayor: Washington, D.C.,
Mayor Vincent C. Gray
Striving to be the capital of sustainability
By Elizabeth Beard

ayor Vincent Gray of Washington, D.C., recently crafted an ambitious
sustainability plan that will touch on almost all aspects of life for the
District's 632,000 residents, not to mention millions of commuters and
visitors each year. A District native, Gray worked in nonprofit social service organizations before becoming director of the District's Department of Human Services.
He was elected to the City Council in 2004 and elected mayor in November 2010.
The Sustainable D.C. plan addresses four key challenges: creating jobs
and growing the District's economy;
improving the health and wellness of
residents; ensuring equity and diversity
across the city; and addressing climate
change and improving the environment.
Key goals include cutting the obesity
rate by 50 percent, reducing greenhouse
gas emissions by 50 percent, having a
park or natural space within a 10-minute walk of all residents, achieving 40
percent tree-canopy coverage, and adding 20 more acres of urban agriculture

land to provide healthy, locally grown
vegetables and fruit for residents.
In a city better known for its federal
parkland, what do you see as the role
of D.C.'s city parks?
While the federal parks in our city are
integral to the District's beauty and
serve our residents and tourists alike,
local parks and recreation centers also
play an incredibly crucial role in enhancing the quality of life for District
residents. They serve as neighborhood
hubs and gathering spots and also play

a central role in our city's service-delivery system-including programs for
children and seniors, athletic activities
for individuals and groups, and educational activities for all residents.
How does parks and recreation fit
into your Sustainable D.C. goals?
The Department of Parks and Recreation, and the facilities and programming it runs, will play an integral role
in the implementation of our Sustainable D.C. plan. Whether the issue is
childhood obesity or urban farming,
our parks and recreation facilities have
a tremendous impact on the health of
our city. And the fact that DPR facilities
and programming are offered in virtually every neighborhood in the District
ties in clearly with Sustainable D.C.'s
goals of equitability.
Why have you chosen to invest in
renovating 32 playgrounds this year
when there are so many other competing priorities?
I see our investment in playgrounds
as an investment in the future of the
District, because the number of children who live in our city is growing.
Investing in playgrounds is one part
of our continued work to improve our
education system and our family programs. By making these investments,
we not only give our children safe and
Mayor Gray (in blue tie) and D.C. Parks
Director Jesús Aguirre (in red tie) announce
a playground renovation program.

Parks & Recreation

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April 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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