
In Boston, thanks to decades of environmental planning and a more contemporary focus on equity of access to green spaces, each city resident now lives within a 10-15 minute walk of a park. And this makes Boston a uniquely livable and exploreable city.
BUT it takes many hours of volunteer labor and a lot of money to keep these public green spaces resplendent and accessible.
While the City of Boston does an enormous amount of work to manage many of these spaces, no city can do that job alone. The Walking City Trails are made possible by the tradition of volunteerism in Boston's green spaces, and if you would like to help keep these urban oases in excellent shape for the next season of urban explorers, please consider making a contribution to any of these local organizations which help manage and advocate for the parks, gardens, and urban wilds that you’ll find on the Walking City Trails and throughout the City of Boston. A “contribution” might mean rolling up your sleeves and removing litter or weeds from green spaces during volunteer events, making a monetary donation, or both!
- Arboretum Park Conservancy
- Arnold Arboretum
- Boston Park Advocates
- Charles River Watershed Association
- Charlesgate Alliance
- City Growers
- City of Boston Urban Wilds Program
- Edward L. Cooper Community Gardening &
Education Center
- The Emerald Necklace Conservancy
- The Esplanade Association
- Fort Hill/Highland Park Neighborhood Group
- Franklin Park Coalition
- Friends of Hall’s Pond
- Friends of Longwood Mall
- Friends of Nira Rock
- Friends of the Public Garden
- Friends Of Stony Brook Reservation
- Garden Club of the Back Bay
- Livable Streets Alliance
- Mass Audubon
- Massachusetts Volunteers in the Parks
- Metropolitan Waterworks Museum
- Neponset River Watershed Association
- Newton Conservators
- The Rose Kennedy Greenway
- Southwest Corridor Park Conservancy
- The Trustees of Reservations
- WalkMassachusetts
If you know of any additional organizations that help maintain access to any green spaces featured on the Walking City Trails—and thereby should be on this list—please let us know by contacting us!