2019 RESEARCH GRANT
PAR KS & EQUI TY ACROSS URBANIZED AREAS IN OUR COUNTRY, WHO ARE THE COMMUNITIES BEING SERVED BY PARKS, AND WHO IS LEFT OUT?
The Parks & Equity Atlas uses data analysis to create tools to ensure equitable access to great parks for all communities, especially those that are majority people of color or low-income. Parks are an essential part of a city’s social life, supporting health and wellness for communities across our country. In park system planning, the traditional measure of equitable access to parks has been the 10-minute walk circle or isochrone, determining what percentage of residents live within a short walk of a park. Both the Trust for Public Land (TPL)’s Park Score tool and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)’s Park Metrics take this type of level-ofservice analysis as a baseline for determining equity of access. However, these metrics do not capture inequities in parks access for different demographic
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groups, nor do they consider the quality of parks to which communities have access. This research establishes a meaningful discussion and visualization of equity in parks access by exploring the following questions: Î Across urbanized areas in our country, who are the communities being served by parks and who is left out? Î How can we visualize inequities in park quality for different demographic groups, especially for communities of color and low-income communities?