Urban Land Institute Promotes the Ten-Minute Walk to a Park

A specialist in public-private initiatives and community-based economic development, Aimee Bissett serves many clients in Texas. Aimee Bissett is also a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), which advocates for the sustainable use of community resources.

In partnership with 127 mayors as well as two national organizations, ULI recently announced a goal of having every urban American live within ten blocks (half a mile) of a park. More than 100 million Americans do not now have such access.

Research shows that parks offer important benefits, such as the chance to interact with nature, the revitalization of neighborhoods, improvements to the environment, and increased property values. Parks also enhance social ties between neighbors, foster civic pride, and attract investors to cities.

Placing the ten-minute walk within the reach of all Americans will require significant changes to existing zoning laws, cooperation with school recreational facilities, and major budgetary outlays. 

In conjunction with the campaign, ULI will again offer its Open Space Awards for excellence in creating places such as linear parks, trails, memorials, and other non-traditional green areas. For more information, visit americas.uli.org/.

University of Texas at Arlington Rises in World Rankings

Since 2016, Aimee Bissett has served as managing partner of 97 Land Company, LLC, in Denton, Texas. Prior to founding the land development firm, Aimee Bissett earned a master of science in public administration from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). 

The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) recently ranked UTA 150th in the United States, a rise of 16 places over last year. The CWUR, which also assesses universities globally, ranked UTA 558th in the world, a jump of three spots over the same period. 

The CWUR evaluates over 27,000 universities around the world and ranks the top 1,000 based on quality of education, as evidenced by the number of awards given to alumni and faculty, the number of alumni in executive positions, the number of publications in major journals, and the number of citations of research papers coming from UTA. This year’s rankings represent UTA’s commitment to encouraging faculty excellence and providing high-impact research experiences for students.