City of Rochester
News Release
City Recognized as 1 of 30 New Communities Exhibiting Playability as Part of 2016 Playful City USA Program
(Thursday, May 19, 2016) – For the first time, Rochester is being honored with a 2016 Playful City USA designation. The national recognition, given by KABOOM, honors cities and towns across the country for making their cities more playable, Mayor Lovely A. Warren announced today.
“My vision for the City of Rochester is to become the best mid-sized city in the US in which to live, work and play,” Mayor Warren said. “By promoting playability, we can improve the quality of life in our city for our families, and by doing so we can create more jobs, safer and more vibrant neighborhoods and better educational opportunities.”
Community initiatives such as #PlayROCs, a Healthi Kids campaign working to promote the importance of play in our community, Rec on the Move, a City of Rochester mobile recreation vehicle that brings play on the road, and Conkey Corner Park, which was transformed by residents and community groups into a safe play space in the heart of the El Camino neighborhood, are chiefly responsible for the City receiving this honor.
“Play is important for the physical, social, and emotional health of kids,” said Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency’s Healthi Kids Director Dina Faticone. “But we know that kids ages 4-11 are getting on average more than 2 hours a day of screen time and 85% of mothers agree that kids play outside less often than just a few years ago. The policies we put in place and the way we design our environments in both schools and communities have enormous impact on whether or not kids exercise their right to play. We’ve done great work in Rochester to change the state of play and will continue to do what’s right for our kids by ensuring Rochester is a playable city for all.
National studies demonstrate that playable cities build community, promote healthy places and foster economic development by increasing the value of surrounding properties and increasing foot traffic to local businesses. This also offers the potential to improve business and job growth and increase tax revenue. A playable city also helps increase physical activity, improves mental health, and promotes the physical, social and emotional development of children and families in our community.
What is a playable city?
A playable city allows for play to happen anywhere, turning every day moments like waiting for a bus, going to the store or walking to school into opportunities for active play. Rochester’s designation enables the city to move forward with the vision of playful sidewalks with hopscotch or mazes; bus shelters that host swings and climbing sculptures; vacant lots turned into playgrounds that inspire creativity and create opportunities for unstructured play; and colorful crosswalks that promote traffic calming and make it safer for kids to play in neighborhoods.
To learn more about these cities, see the full list of the 257 communities named 2016 Playful City USA honorees, or to gather more information on the Playful City USA program, visit www.playfulcityusa.org. We also encourage you to take part in the conversation on #playability with these thought leaders on Twitter and Facebook.
About The Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency and Healthi Kids
Founded in 1974, the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency is one of the nation’s oldest and most effective regional health planning organizations. Located in Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts, the agency serves the nine-county Finger Lakes region. Through data analysis, FLHSA experts identify the most pressing health needs facing the region, and then bring together hospitals, insurers, physicians, consumers and other community partners to find solutions. The Healthi Kids Initiative of the FLHSA advocates for public policy and practice changes for healthier, more active children in Rochester and Monroe County, NY.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids – particularly those growing up in poverty in America – the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,300 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 8.1 million kids. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy and productive lives. To learn why #playmatters: visit kaboom.org or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom.
ABOUT PLAYFUL CITIES USA
Playful City USA is a national recognition program that honors cities and towns across the country for taking bold steps that make it easy for all kids to get the balanced and active play they need to thrive. These communities are recognized for their efforts to create more playable, family-friendly cities.
Through policy changes, programs, and infrastructure investments, Playful City USA communities are driving a deeper understanding of the importance of play and engaging their citizens to reimagine cities with kids in mind.
This year, 257 cities were recognized, including 30 new cities added this year for the first time – one of which being Rochester.
Designated cities receive:
o Two Playful City USA highway road signs
o Webinars and networking events for city leaders to share and learn about innovative solutions for play
o Exclusive access to Policy Map, an online tool that enables cities to leverage up-to-date city data that can be used in combination with KaBOOM! playspace mapping data
o Access to grants offered by KaBOOM! that support increasing opportunities for play
o Increased stature and competitive advantage for state and national grant opportunities
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News Media: For more information, contact Press Officer Jessica Alaimo, (585) 428-7135.