Urban Parks

The Problem

Urban parks provide a range of benefits to communities, ranging from air and water purification to building a sense of community. Recreation opportunities in parks can help to reduce crime by offering young people activities to fill their time and building skills and self esteem. Green spaces can help attract new businesses and jobs, increase property values, and generally contribute to a better quality of life for the surrounding community. Unfortunately, in many metropolitan areas, parks and recreation opportunities are concentrated in affluent and suburban neighborhoods, while low-income, inner-city communities have inadequate and severely overcrowded public parks that offer far fewer recreational programs.

Who Is Affected?

The neighborhoods most in need of recreation opportunities and open space generally have the least parkland, the fewest facilities, and the greatest difficulties maintaining them as safe havens. Although elected officials generally declare their support for parks and recreation programs, more and better services are available to residents of suburban areas than to those who live in less affluent rural and urban areas. The single largest source of funding for parks, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, has faced substantial cuts in recent years, and funding for urban parks has taken a back seat to other programs as many cities struggle with reduced tax revenues and tight budgets.

What You Can Do

Work to improve conditions at your local park by joining or starting a friends of the park organization. You can find a guide to starting a park friends group on the Brookline Greenspace Alliance web site.

Look for resources through your local government or community redevelopment programs to turn an empty lot in your neighborhood into a park or community garden. Find out more about how to start a community garden from the American Community Gardening Association.

Find out where your elected officials stand on urban parks issues by attending town meetings or writing letters. You can also look for information from national and state groups that track the environmental voting records of elected officials such as the League of Conservation Voters or your state conservation voter league.

Register to vote and vote for the candidates who will work to support your community’s parks.

Other Resources

Get more information on urban parks issues from the Project for Public Spaces and the Trust for Public Land.