What Happened?
Cities across the country are pushing park projects to the top of the agenda to ensure residents have access to green space and outdoor recreation.
Leaders of the Pack
The Trust for Public Land’s annual City Park Facts report examined the park systems in the 100 most populous cities in the country. The report compiled and compared data on a variety of park system characteristics including:
- Park acreage
- Spending
- Accessibility
- Percentage of residents within a half mile (10-minute walk) of a park
- Types of parks
- Number of parks
The City Park Facts report found San Francisco offers the most access to parks, with 98.2 percent of its population within walking distance to a park. Close behind, Boston reported 97.4 percent of its population, New York has 96.6 percent of its population and Washington, D.C., has 96.3 percent of its population located 10 minutes from a park.
In terms of spending on park projects and maintenance, Washington, D.C, is leading the nation by allocating $346 per resident. Seattle spends $298 per resident, Arlington, VA, spends $249 and Minneapolis spends $230 per resident.
Atlanta
In Atlanta, a new project is transforming abandoned railroad tracks into livable green space. The city is converting its beltline into a network of parks, sidewalks and outdoor amenities to unite different neighborhoods and drive economic growth, Fox News reported.
The city is building light rail transit, bike and pedestrian trails along a 22-mile corridor. The goal is to not only provide increased access to outdoor space, but create alternative forms of transportation to get from one neighborhood to another. This increased foot traffic will drive local businesses as well, Fox News reported.
Milwaukee
Milwaukee is planning to build 100 new community gardens in the next year, as well as plant thousands of fruit trees in urban orchards across the city. The goal of the urban gardens and orchards is to increase access to fresh foods in low-income communities while reconnecting residents to outdoor space. Furthermore, the new green spaces will create jobs in the food sustainability industry, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Los Angeles
In an effort to increase the percentage of residents within walking distance of a park, Los Angeles has launched an initiative to build 50 smaller parks in areas lacking outdoor space. Most of the city’s current parks are multi-acre recreation centers that are only within walking distance to a select population of residents. In the last three years, the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks developed the 50 Parks Initiative to build 50 new parks in underserved areas of the city.
Thus far, the department has completed 31 parks, is working on six more, and identified 17 more sites for future parks. While each new park is about a quarter-acre in size, the number of parks being built marks the largest expansion project in the country, Next City reported.
To ensure these new parks are well-maintained, the city department has teamed up with private sector partners to help develop, run and maintain the green spaces. Many of these nonprofit partners have paid for land acquisition, outreach, design and construction of the parks to ensure the project meets its goals, Next City reported.
Why Parks Matter
According to research from a global engineering firm, cities that invest in green spaces - such as parks and community gardens – typically house healthier, more prosperous and safer communities. In addition, the Forestry Commission reports individuals with access to open spaces are 50 percent more likely to achieve high levels of walking. The more active a population is, the less vulnerable they are to chronic illness and low work productivity associated with health problems.
Green spaces also provide a mental boost to local residents. Exeter University researchers discovered households living in greener urban environments reported lower levels of mental distress and higher levels of wellbeing. Hospital patients with views of trees from their hospital beds recovered faster from surgery than those who did not. Because nearly 70 percent of the world’s population is expected to reside in urban settings by 2050, it is important for cities to have park projects in place to ensure sustainable access to green space for all residents.
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