?The City of Boston is preparing a new citywide Open Space Plan for the years 2015 to 2021. As part of this effort, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department developed and launched a survey questionnaire to enable the public to provide input about their park use and preferences.

The Parks Department will be holding a citywide series of public meetings from July 21 to August 14 to discuss the results of the survey. With this information the Parks Department is developing a multi-year integrated plan for open space protection and development.

Public participation is crucial to the success of the Open Space Plan and the key ingredient to helping us make our parks and open spaces better. The Plan looks at all public open space, regardless of ownership, including parks, playgrounds, squares, malls, urban wilds, community gardens, cemeteries, greenways, trails, thoroughfares, and harbor islands. The Plan will also look at demographic and socio-economic data for how the use of open space can be affected in the future.

As part of the data collection process, an environmental inventory is being compiled enabling natural areas to be targeted for protection and stewardship in a priority plan. Natural features of our parks, rivers and harbors, wildlife, geologic features, soils, and vegetation become part of this truly comprehensive Open Space Plan.

Open space advocates, parents, caregivers, and all users of Boston's parks are invited to attend these meetings. Dates and locations are as follows. All meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.

Monday, July 21

Harvard/ Kent Elementary School
50 Bunker Hill Street, Charlestown

Wednesday, July 23

Shelburne Community Center
2730 Washington Street, Roxbury

Roslindale Community Center
6 Cummins Highway, Roslindale

Thursday, July 24

Curtis Hall Community Center
20 South Street, Jamaica Plain

Monday, July 28

Copley Branch Boston Public Library
700 Boylston Street, Boston

Tuesday, July 29

Jackson Mann Community Center
500 Cambridge Street, Allston

Roche Community Center,
1716 Centre Street, West Roxbury

Wednesday, July 30

Mildred Avenue Community Center
5 Mildred Avenue, Mattapan

Adams Street Branch Library
690 Adams Street, Dorchester

New England Baptist Hospital Potter Conference Room
125 Parker Hill Avenue, Mission Hill (parking will be validated)

Thursday, July 31

Hyde Park Community Center
1179 River Street, Hyde Park

Monday, August 4

William Devine Golf Clubhouse
1 Circuit Drive, Dorchester

Wednesday, August 6

Paris Street Community Center
12 Paris Street, East Boston

Blackstone Community Center
50 West Brookline Street, Boston

Thursday, August 14

Curley Community Center Senior Center
1663 Columbia Road, South Boston

For more information, please call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at (617) 961-3006.