Everyone knows how refreshing and peaceful it feels to take a nice stroll in the local park. You can enjoy the fresh air, the sweet chirping of the birds, and the nice scene of greenery and perhaps, if you are a bit health-oriented, a brisk walk or a quick jog around the park too. Every bustling city around the world aims to set aside a percentage of its land to the development of small and scenic park-lands. And they aim to add a bit of appeal and aesthetic sense to it as well.

The Trust for Public Land is an organization that is absolutely committed to seeing that cities around the world keep the promise of giving its residents a little bit of Mother Nature. This non-profit institution aims to give ample protection and sustenance to the various park lands a city has within its limits. It also seeks ways to promote the development of more parks and nature spots in busy cities. One of the ways it employs to motivate cities to upkeep its parks is by giving out awards for the cities that have rated high on its Park-score.

The scores are based on certain predetermined factors like:
· The percentage of residents who live near a park,
· The size of the parks,
· The facilities found at the parks,
· The maintenance and general upkeep of the park and its facilities
· The city’s average spending on parks, etc.

This year, the distinction of maintaining well-kept park-lands has gone to the busting and cool city of Minneapolis. It scored 86.5 out of a possible score of 100 and was successful in relegating neighboring St. Paul to a not so bad 2nd place.

The organizers have repeatedly called cities across the globe to actively participate in this friendly race. In the end, they say, it is really like taking a step closer to Mother Nature.