Proximity to green space provides a wide range of physical, mental, social and environmental benefits. By that measure, the Twin Cities - where 99% of all residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park - should be a model of equitable access to parks and the benefits they confer.
A new study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health suggests proximity doesn't tell the whole story. Researchers examined not just access to parks, but also a park's total acreage - adding an important new element to the conversation.
The research team analyzed Project EAT data on just over 2,200 Twin Cities adolescents who lived within a 10-minute walk of a park. Using geographic information system data, they calculated how much of the land near each of their homes was made up of parks - information they then used to develop the concept of Urban Park Oases: neighborhoods that are both nearby parks and whose land is at least 10% parkland. They then compared physical activity levels between adolescents living in these park-rich areas and those in neighborhoods with less parkland.
The study, published in Environmental Justice, found:
- Adolescents living in Urban Park Oases had greater levels of physical activity. Adolescents in Urban Park Oases reported about 15 more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week than peers in areas with less park acreage.
- Park acreage was unevenly distributed. Though parks are generally evenly distributed across the Twin Cities, racially and ethnically minority and low-income adolescents were significantly less likely to live in acreage-rich neighborhoods.
- Citywide park rankings can mask unequal distribution of parkland. Minneapolis and St. Paul regularly score in the top tier of "green cities" where parks are close to nearly all residents, but the Urban Park Oases metric underscores that neighborhood-level disparities persist even in these cities.
"Living near a park supports physical activity, but the size of a neighborhood park is a key element that planners and public health officials have overlooked for a long time," said Eydie Kramer-Kostecka, a researcher in the School of Public Health and lead author. "Because the activity habits formed in adolescence shape health across a lifetime, equitable access to substantial park acreage isn't just an urban planning question - it's a public health priority."
The study recommends municipalities test the 10% acreage threshold in their communities and adopt land-use and park investment policies that intentionally expand green space in underserved neighborhoods.
The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at NIH.
About the School of Public Health
The University of Minnesota School of Public Health improves the health and wellbeing of populations and communities around the world by bringing innovative research, learning, and concrete actions to today's biggest health challenges. We prepare some of the most influential leaders in the field, and partner with health departments, communities, and policymakers to advance health equity for all. Learn more at sph.umn.edu.
