Access to Parks for Youth as an Environmental Justice Issue: Access Inequalities and Possible Solutions

Alessandro Rigolon,Travis Flohr

doi:10.3390/buildings4020069

Alessandro Rigolon, Travis Flohr

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings4020069

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Journal: Buildings	Publication Date: Apr 14, 2014
Citations: 154	License type: CC BY 3.0

Affiliation: University of Denver, University of Colorado Denver

Abstract

Although repeated contact with nature helps foster mental and physical health among young people, their contact with nature has been diminishing over the last few decades. Also, low-income and ethnic minority children have even less contact with nature than white middle-income children. In this study, we compared accessibility to play in parks for young people from different income and racial backgrounds in Denver, Colorado. Park access for children and youth was measured using a geographic information system (GIS). Each neighborhood was classified according to income level, residential density, and distance from downtown; and then each park was classified based on formal and informal play, and level of intimacy. Comparisons between neighborhoods show that that low-income neighborhoods have the lowest access and high-income neighborhoods have the highest access to parks, and that differences are even higher for parks with play amenities and high levels of intimacy. To overcome this issue, the paper proposes a framework for action to improve access to parks for low-income children and youth and to help planners, decision makers and advocacy groups prioritize park investments.

Highlights

A growing body of research indicates that contact with nature is beneficial for mental and physical health among young people [1], for low-income children [2]
We focus on access to play opportunities in parks for young people, including children and teenagers
This paper presents the results of an environmental justice study measuring young people’s access to play in parks in Denver, Colorado and a framework for design and planning interventions

Summary

Introduction

A growing body of research indicates that contact with nature is beneficial for mental and physical health among young people [1], for low-income children [2]. Repeated contact with nature fosters physical development [3], cognitive development [4], and social development [5]. Research in a variety of Western countries shows that the time children spend outdoors playing in nature is decreasing [6,7,8]. Regardless of income level, young people’s use of parks and their benefits differ depending on park design, including the presence of different play amenities [13,14,15]. Limited research about access to parks has looked at park design aspects or has studied the topic with an environmental justice lens

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