Boston Council Committee Backs Push to Officially Sign 27-Mile Walking City Trail

BOSTON -- March 2, 2023, Boston City Council committee hears unanimous support for officially recognizing the 27-mile Walking City Trail. The Committee on Environmental Justice, Resiliency, and Parks, chaired by District 6 Councilor Kendra Lara, convened Thursday on Docket 0215, a proposal to establish and sign a walking trail connecting urban green spaces across 17 Boston neighborhoods. Trail founder Miles Howard, a journalist, told the panel the route runs from the Neponset River to Bunker Hill, crosses nearly 30 green spaces, and required no new construction to create. Parks Commissioner Ryan Woods backed the concept while flagging interagency complexity, noting the city owns only a portion of the route, sections run through DCR-controlled parkways, and that landmark park restrictions would govern sign design. Council President Edward M. Flynn pressed for a parks budget increase of roughly eight to nine percent and assigned the parks team a plan to improve pedestrian access from Chinatown to Boston Common, with Chief of Environment Reverend Mariama White-Hammond noting a federal planning grant of approximately $1.8 million for Chinatown reconnection had just been awarded. No votes were taken; the committee committed to follow-up meetings with the Streets and Public Works cabinets before drafting a formal signage proposal.