City releases 2023-2029 Open Space and Recreation Plan

The OSRP is available at boston.gov/open-space-plan with reference copies at both the central Boston Public Library in Copley Square and Boston Parks and Recreation Department headquarters at 1010 Massachusetts Avenue. 

The newly-released 2023-2029 Open Space and Recreation Plan offers a framework for open space protection and expansion.

The OSRP is a wide-ranging document, updated every seven years, that provides a comprehensive property inventory of all open space, regardless of ownership, and analyzes those spaces to understand how they are meeting the open space needs of city residents and where improvements are necessary. 

 “This document delineates Boston’s vision for open space and recreation,” noted Boston Parks Commissioner Ryan Woods. “Our Design and Construction team encouraged residents to participate so that their voices would be heard as we examined our priorities in handling these valuable resources. The resulting plan looks at the broad range of uses and values of urban open space from local playgrounds to rare ecosystems and provides a blueprint for the need to plan ahead and manage our open space development in a way that benefits all.”

The Parks Department assessed the current and potential future open space system through data analysis, policy review, research, geospatial modeling and mapping (including 49 maps), and public input. Because open spaces are central to the health, resilience and livability of Boston, this report brings together work from related projects such as the Urban Forest Plan, Heat Resilience Solutions for Boston, the Climate Ready Boston reports and the Parcel Priority Plan.  

The Parcel Priority Plan is a complementary Parks Department planning project that identifies the potential open space value of parcels throughout the city to consider for open space protection or acquisition. These planning efforts all share fundamental objectives to improve quality of life while preparing for climate change.

The OSRP lays out a Seven-Year Action Plan that will guide the City’s open space-related work heading towards 2030. The plan will inform park improvement projects, park system expansion, programming, operations, and ongoing policy work.

Preserving, protecting, and improving Boston’s varied open spaces are goals of the OSRP.

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