Pandemic underscores how public parks shape public health

Uneven access to green spaces is a health risk that can affect longevity and mental health.

For years, public health experts have urged people to spend more time outdoors for the nourishment of their minds, bodies and souls.

Those recommendations have taken on a new urgency this year as the nation grapples with a pandemic that seems to be especially virulent in crowded indoor spaces. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now lists visiting parks and recreational facilities — particularly those “parks that are close to your home” — as a way to protect yourself and others from covid-19.

But for tens of millions of Americans, that’s easier said than done; according to the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a nonprofit group that works to protect parks and other outdoor public spaces, roughly 100 million Americans don’t have a public park within a 10-minute walk of their home...

...Other researchers have explored various neighborhood factors associated with park access. Using the CDC data, for instance, Brookings Institution researchers found that, at the metropolitan-area level, “regions with lower park access tend to have higher poverty rates.”

Studies also have shown that areas that are whiter, richer and more highly educated also have better access to urban green spaces...

...“When we look at park size and park crowding, parks that serve low-income communities and communities of color are often smaller and serve more people,” Hwang said. “This increases park pressure, which is particularly relevant during the pandemic and a time of social-distancing.”..

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/07/31/public-parks-health-coronavirus/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most#comments-wrapper

Where are Parks needed:

https://www.tpl.org/city/gaithersburg-maryland