Connections between parks and health
For us, supporting the creation and use of parks seems like a no-brainer. Natural preservation and appreciation, physical exercise, communal interaction–what’s not to like? But that’s a gut response and not a data-driven one. Meanwhile, a lot of research has been conducted on the perceived and actual contributions of parks. A recent article in the Research Digest of the President’s Council of Physical Fitness summarizes some of the leading studies actually measuring the degree of physical activity promoted by parks and the impact specific features in promoting healthy lifestyles. In one notable study among children ages 8-15:
[L]iving in an area with a large community park (43 hectares) was associated with an increase of almost forty minutes of moderate-to-vigorous daily physical activity versus living an in area with no neighborhood park.
The Freshkills Park plan provides for a variety of recreational experiences and physical activities. The first project we’ll be building is a series of a soccer fields at the southern edge of the site, at Owl Hollow.
(via City Parks Blog)
