Earth Day Network addressed Parks & Recreation in its Urban Environmental Report (UER) in order to emphasize the importance of park resources both in terms of quantity and quality to the health and well-being of urban communities.
Urban parks provide an array of benefits to local communities, ranging from a reduction of air and water pollution to an increased sense of community. Green spaces in urban areas help to attract new residents, businesses and jobs, increase real estate values, and contribute to a better quality of life for city dwellers.
Urban parks were originally designed as places for users to experience recreation, inspiration and escape from the daily demands and pressures of fast-paced urban life. Unfortunately, today’s low-income and minority neighborhoods have been short changed when it comes to the availability of safe and viable park facilities, resulting in unfortunate consequences for such communities, many of which contain sizable vulnerable populations (see the Vulnerable Population Index for factors that define such populations). With obesity reaching epidemic proportions, most notably in communities that offer limited access to healthy food, access to decent park facilities is critical to at-risk populations for engaging in physical activity and lowering the risk of contracting heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer and diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called for the creation of more parks and playgrounds to help fight the burgeoning obesity epidemic.
Urban parks also provide play areas that are critical to children’s physical, mental and social development. Additionally, at-risk youth in crime-stressed neighborhoods benefit from the opportunities to enjoy safe havens to interact with their peers and to engage in outdoor activities that redirect their energies from potentially more troublesome pastimes. For adult residents, urban parks provide the chance to interact with neighbors and to participate in communal activities, such as community gardening, that offer a sense of community and environmental stewardship.
Resources
Project for Public Spaces
http://www.pps.org/
The Urban Institute
http://www.urban.org/index.cfm
The Wallace Foundation
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/KnowledgeCenter/KnowledgeTopics/Parks/ThePublicValueofUrbanParks.htm
SPUR
http://www.spur.org/documents/000601_article_01.shtm
Trust for Public Lands
http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=11428&folder_id=175
National Park Service
http://www.ncrc.nps.gov/programs/uprr/index.htm
American Society of Landscape Architects
http://www.asla.org/land/2006/0724/nrpa.html
Parks Practices
http://www.parkspractices.org/index.php?tg=articles&topics=50
