Читать книгу The Outdoor Citizen. Get Out, Give Back, Get Active онлайн

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As we reduce the number of cars on the road, we need to repurpose the land devoted to parking spaces. It can be used for housing and retail, but Outdoor Cities will prioritize turning parking spaces into green spaces—replacing cars and concrete with parks and trees that absorb pollutants and odors, provide oxygen, clear air through carbon absorption, boost resiliency in the face of extreme weather, control greenhouse gases to combat climate change, and cool city streets.39 It’s a healthier future for our bodies and our planet.

Greenbelts

Wrapping around the Greater Boston area between interstate highways Route 495 and Route 95/128 is the Bay Circuit Trail (BCT), a 230-mile trail that passes through fifty-seven communities. The trail mostly winds through wooded areas, but it also cuts through parks, conservation land, and other green spaces. For the nearly four million people who live in the Boston metropolitan area, it offers a close-to-home path to walk, hike, cycle, or horseback ride. The communities along the way comprise all economic classes. Connected by the trail are some of Greater Boston’s most affluent communities and some of its struggling ones.