Got green? addressing environmental justice in park provision

Abstract

We present a pragmatic approach to assist planners in addressing racial inequities in park access. Utilizing the Los Angeles metropolitan region as an example, we used Thiessen polygons to delineate a service area for each park, and described potential park congestion or 'pressure' in each park service area. Results show that Latinos, AfricanAmericans, and low-income groups in general were likely to live close to parks with higher potential park congestion. On the other hand, predominantly White, high-income areas were typically located close to parks with lower potential park congestion levels. The park service area analysis presented here facilitates the identification of areas with greater park need and provides a pragmatic way to redress existing disparities in park access. Built into a set of webbased decision support tools, the approach fosters greater community participation and empowers local stakeholders in the process of park provision.

Exploring the Distribution of Park Availability, Features, and Quality Across Kansas City, Missouri by Income and Race/Ethnicity: an Environmental Justice Investigation

“…(2010) defined service areas around parks and calculated a measure of "potential park congestion (or pressure)" based on the ratio of persons within the service area relative to the size of the park (14). They found that Latinos, African-Americans, and low income groups were more likely to live close to parks with higher potential park congestion.…”

“…Moreover, another recent study in Los Angeles (14) reported that there were more, but often smaller, parks in low income and minority neighborhoods, thus leading to more park pressure or congestion (i.e., less park space per capita). Additionally, little research has explored disparities in the specific facilities and amenities within parks.…”

Are There Relationships Among Racial Segregation, Economic Isolation, and Proximity to Green Space?

“…In particular, researchers have examined the proximity of different racial and economic groups to green space such as urban parks, street trees, greenways, and tree canopy cover. Urban green space has been identified as an environmental amenity by a variety of scholars and urban planners because it typically has two qualities: the presence of vegetation and social upkeep (Heynen, 2003;Heynen et al, 2006;Landry & Chakraborty, 2009;Lindsey et al, 2001;Sister et al, 2010;Troy et al, 2007;Wen et al, 2013;Wendel et al, 2011).…”

Enhancing quality of life through the lens of green spaces: A systematic review approach

“…The connection between green spaces and environmental justice hinges on the even distribution of green spaces in an area, facilitating equitable access to the natural environment (Kabischa & Haase, 2014;Wolch et al, 2014;Sister et al, 2010). In this case, even distribution of green spaces in communities enhances environmental justice, as it helps all people, irrespective of their status, gender, race, and ethnicity, to have fair access to natural vegetation and enjoy the qualities of nature.…”