Boston council committee hears case for official recognition of 27-mile Walking City Trail

BOSTON — November 12, 2024 — Boston City Council committee backs push to officially recognize the 27-mile Walking City Trail. The Committee on Environmental Justice, Resiliency, and Parks, chaired by Councillor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, held a hearing Tuesday on Docket 1300, sponsored by Councillors Henry Santana and Benjamin J. Weber, to examine next steps for the grassroots urban hiking route, which connects 30 parks and urban wilds across 17 neighborhoods. Trail founder Miles Howard told councillors that weatherproof signs installed in May 2024 were scanned more than 1,200 times in their first three months and said official recognition should begin with listing the trail on boston.gov and city tourism platforms alongside the Freedom Trail. Interim Parks Commissioner Liza Meyer said the department is open to website promotion but cautioned that a formal designation would require coordination among city parks, the Streets Department, MassDCR, and private Harborwalk landowners. Councillor Coletta Zapata called for a dedicated "Walking City Trail Day" with food vendors and community programming, and said she would explore funding through Boston's upcoming 250th anniversary grant program.