<strong><b>Parks are Critical Urban Infrastructure: Perception and Use of Urban Green Spaces in NYC During COVID-19</b></strong>

Abstract

Urban green spaces provide a range of environmental and health benefits, which may become even more critical during times of crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, with a radical shift in mobility, additional concerns over safety, and access temporarily restricted during the implementation of social distancing policies, the experience and use of urban green spaces may be reduced. This is particularly concerning for densely populated cities like New York, considered the first U.S. epicenter or vanguard of the outbreak. To better understand the impact of COVID-19 on the perception and use of urban green spaces, we conducted a social survey during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City (May 13 - June 15, 2020). The results of the survey show respondents continued to use urban green spaces during the pandemic and consider them to be more important for mental and physical health than before the pandemic began. However, the study revealed a pattern of concerns residents have about green space accessibility and safety, and found key differences between the concerns and needs of different populations, suggesting a crucial role for inclusive decision-making, support for additional management strategies, and urban ecosystem governance that reflect the differential values, needs and concerns of communities across the City. As urban centers face looming budget cuts and reduced capacity, this study provides some empirical evidence to illustrate the value of urban green spaces as critical urban infrastructure, and may have implications for funding, policy, and management, of urban green spaces in NYC, with potential applications to other cities, particularly during times of crisis.

Policy and Environmental Predictors of Park Visits During the First Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Getting Out While Staying in

“…Similarly, park visits decreased less where more park space was available per person, a finding consistent with preferences for uncrowded park spaces where COVID-19 infection risk could be minimized (Venter et al, 2020). Thus, regular safety concerns and consideration of the surrounding social environment (McCormack et al, 2010) were likely expanded to weigh risks of COVID-19 infection (Lopez et al, 2020). However, our measure of park space per person is coarse and does not include perceptions of park crowdedness, such that additional research is needed to further clarify our findings.…”

Human Dimensions of Urban Blue and Green Infrastructure during a Pandemic. Case Study of Moscow (Russia) and Perth (Australia)

“…Other studies [4,18,46] along with the results of our survey, confirmed that some cities still lack appropriate levels of open green and blue spaces to meet the outdoor exercise and recreation demands of their citizens while fulfilling social distancing requirements. Within these scientific findings, significant atten-tion is centered on the mental and physical health impacts of COVID-19 and associated lockdowns as well as other restrictions [3,48,49], and the specific role that urban nature played as a response [4,50]. In particular, it is stated that contact with nature can buffer or mitigate against the negative effects of social isolation on mental health [3,26].…”

Environmental justice implications of siting criteria in urban green infrastructure planning

“…GI's inequitable distribution across the city, and non-inclusion of minoritized communities in planning decisions can magnify environmental injustices (Mabon & Shih, 2018;Wolch et al, 2014). Furthermore, perceptions of GI vary across demographic groups and have been changing under the Covid-19 pandemic (Lopez et al, 2020). These complexities are what Meerow (2020) terms the 'politics of green infrastructure planning', and research suggests that these politics are more focused on stormwater management than justice or equity (Finewood et al, 2019;Newell et al, 2013).…”