Who benefits from neighborhood parks?

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Green spaces are a virtue to their surroundings; they improve air quality, reduce extreme temperatures and can mitigate hazards, like flooding. Just living near a park is beneficial; nearby residents tend to have lower health care bills, reduced stress and depression levels and lead more active lifestyles.

Not all residents have access to such benefits, however. A new study led by the University of Utah found that public parks are unevenly distributed in nearly every community in the United States.

“If your city has a Chinatown or Little Italy or any ethnic enclave, chances are that the area doesn’t have walkable access to a greenspace,” said Marco Allain, a lecturer at the U and lead author of the study.

In addition to analyzing which Americans’ live walking-distance to parks across major race and ethnicity categories, the study is the first to assess different access within those groups based on national and Tribal origin. The findings revealed previously unseen national patterns of unequal access to greenspaces.

“It’s the city or town that decides where public parks should go,” Allain said. “We hope that our analysis can be a tool for planners to make sure all people can benefit from a local greenspace.”