The Benefits of Urban Parks

Recreational Benefits
Social Benefits
Crime Reduction Benefits
Environmental Benefits
Educational Benefits
Health Benefits
Economic Benefits

Recreational Benefits:
The most obvious benefits of parks relate to the recreational opportunities they provide.
These range from active play and exercise that might involve specific facilities or equipment (i.e. basketball courts or playgrounds), to more passive activities such as strolling, picnicking, or reading. Indeed, each piece of open space, whether possessing particular facilities or not, is a multi-purpose area that can offer any number of options to all types of people. This attribute makes parks such positive, dynamic assets to communities.

Social Benefits:
Parks are believed by some to be ideal community gathering places. They are public spaces that can
be accessed by all, and thus allow people to come together informally and intermingle - a well
designed park can be a significant center in a neighborhood, a place where people meet and socialize. Parks can also provide sites for more formalized gathering such as community or cultural events.

Resources/Links:
Urban Parks Institute, 'Social Benefits' Section:
http://pps.org/topics/whyneed/socbenefits/

Crime Reduction Benefits:
Attention has also been given to the assertion that open space and recreational facilities can cause
reductions in crime. In 1994, the Trust for Public Land (TPL) issued a report citing evidence that
when adequate parks and facilities are available in inner-city communities, crime rates drop. The
basic mechanism behind this is that the more opportunities for recreation and sports that youth
are presented with, the less likely they will be to engage in criminal and gang activity. The article
detailing the TPL report also describes two other sources that give accounts of crime reductions
when recreational opportunities are established - a report from the Centers for Disease Control's
Forum on Youth Violence in Minority Communities, and research conducted by the National
Recreation and Parks Association. Interestingly, in 1994 the House approved a revision of UPARR
(Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program) to increase funding for parks in high crime areas.
This approval reflects the findings of the TPL report. The legislation proposed improving recreation
projects that will consequently reduce crime in urban parks, and created a new category of 'At Risk
Youth Recreation Grants' to establish programs that keep juveniles from crime. As US Representative Bruce Vento stated, "Urban recreation and sports programs are a proven, common sense and cost-effective means of preventing crime and delinquency."

Resources/Links:
Trust for Public Land, Healing America's Cities: http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cdl.cfm?content_item_id=887&folder_id=728
UPARR Information:
http://pps.org/topics/funding/pubfunding/AHRbook-section2 http://www.cprs.org/Press/UPARR%20Grant%20Round%20Begins.htm

Environmental Benefits:
Parks can contribute significantly to the environmental and ecological health of an area. First, green
spaces absorb excess rainwater. This not only reduces the risk of flooding, but also allows urban
runoff to be absorbed into the soil (where contaminants can be filtered) instead of washing into
and polluting waterways. In effect, the vegetated zones act as a buffer, protecting the water systems
in an area. This is an important rationale for creating greenways in cities, which provide green space all along an urban river or oceanfront. Park trees also serve several principal functions. Trees are
capable of drastically improving air quality because their leaves remove pollutants from the air. They also sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, mitigating the impact of the greenhouse effect. Furthermore, their biological functioning and canopy structure perform significant shading and temperature-regulating tasks, reducing urban air temperatures in the summer and blocking winds in the winter.

Resources/Links:
Urban Forests Webpage, Tree Benefits:
www.coloradotrees.org
Benefits of Greenways: http://www.trailsandgreenways.org/TAG_active_pages/TechnicalAssistance
/FactSheets/view_text.asp?SheetID=3

Educational Benefits:
Parks are sometimes the only opportunity that urban residents have to engage with the natural
environment. Many green spaces are natural habitats that support a wide array of animal and plant
life, and can therefore serve as venues for educational activities related to the environment, ecology, biology and other related disciplines.

Health Benefits:
Recreation in parks has also been touted as having health benefits - access to open space and sports
facilities may promote exercise and a more active lifestyle. Furthermore, many studies have linked
recreational experiences to a decrease in stress levels, which can have a significant impact on health.

Resources/Links:
Trust for Public Land, Health Benefits Bibliography: http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cdl.cfm?content_item_id=1091&folder_id=726
Trust for Public Land, Healing America's Cities report, "Human Habitat" Section: http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cdl.cfm?content_item_id=899&folder_id=728

Economic Benefits:
There is an increasing amount of interest in the potential economic and financial advantages of
open space. Studies have shown that open space preservation can aid in stabilizing or even increasing the property values of adjacent properties. More specific to urban areas, studies done in various cities have looked at the favorable effect parks can have on the real estate values of nearby residences. The presence of parks and green spaces can attract people and businesses into an area, and as a result, public investments in such amenities are believed to bring new life into a neighborhood and stimulate private sector investments.

Resources/Links:
Trust for Public Land, Economic Benefits or Parks and Open Space: http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cdl.cfm?content_item_id=1145&folder_id=727
Trust for Public Land, Economic Benefits Bibliography: http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cdl.cfm?content_item_id=1076&folder_id=726
Urban Parks Institute, 'Economic Benefits' Section:
http://pps.org/topics/whyneed/econbenefits/