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The Benefits of Parks & Recreation

You are probably reading this page because you care about parks and know from your own experience why parks and recreation are beneficial. You know that parks and recreation systems are vital to many aspects of our individual and community life. Because parks are already an important part of your life, you may not give them a lot of thought. We hope to fertilize and enrich your thinking about parks and recreation with the information we provide on this page. We believe the more you know about the benefits of parks and recreation, the better you will be able to advocate for the resources you treasure.

We know that when everyday citizens get involved with neighborhood parks, amazing things can happen, and our quality of life improves. NPC encourages you to join our efforts to develop our knowledge about the benefits of parks.

GENERAL BENEFITS OF PARKS
WHAT PEOPLE WANT FROM PARKS AND RECREATION
HEALTH BENEFITS OF PARKS & RECREATION
SOCIAL BENEFITS OF PARKS
ECONOMICS OF PARKS
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF PARKS
PARKS AND QUALITY OF LIFE

We invite you to tell us how Parks & Recreation benefits your life. Please email Karin Edwards, Open Space 2100 Coordinator at kedwards@sfnpc.org with any suggestions, facts, or links that might support this effort.

GENERAL BENEFITS OF PARKS

WHAT PEOPLE WANT FROM PARKS AND RECREATION HEALTH BENEFITS OF PARKS & RECREATION

"There is a lack of a coordinated city-wide effort to link the health of people and parks."

-Isabel Wade, Ph.D., Executive Director, Neighborhood Parks Council.


"Our environment and our health are inextricably linked, particularly among low-income urban populations. By paying greater attention to the built environment including homes, schools, parks, transportation and community design, we can reduce instances of chronic disease such as diabetes and asthma."

-Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA).


"Being healthy means access to the resources needed to live a healthy life, and many health resources are fundamentally dependent on the design of our neighborhood environments. Accessible and safe parks are one essential ingredient to a healthy neighborhood, providing a place to exercise, play, spend time with friend and neighbors, or just relax and recuperate. Research tells us that parks matter for health; the effects of nearby parks range from increasing physical activity to improving mental health. All San Francisco residents will benefit when creating and maintaining high quality parks are viewed as an essential public health intervention."

-Rajiv Bhatia, MD, MPH, Director, Occupational & Environmental Health,
San Francisco Department of Public Health, and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCSF.


These introductory statements address a few of the fundamental elements of "Healthy Parks, Healthy People," an exciting new collaborative initiative being developed in San Francisco by the Neighborhood Parks Council. Some important links to research and data that supports the vital links between the health of our communities and our parks are provided here:
SOCIAL BENEFITS OF PARKS

ECONOMICS OF PARKS

The primary purpose for investing in a city park is rarely economic. Although few in San Francisco would argue that parks and open space are an indispensable part of a healthy and sustainable urban mosaic, financial justification is nearly always required, especially when the cost of land is high. Due to the concern over the preservation of parks and open space in San Francisco, there has been an increasing interest in quantifying the value of its parks system.

Measuring the economic value of parks and open space is a difficult yet necessary exercise. This is because while the costs associated with acquiring, developing, and maintaining a city's parks system is relatively easy to calculate, its benefits are hard to quantify. As San Francisco grows and develops, a more complete picture of the economic benefits of parks will provide city agencies, voters, and developers with necessary information to set priorities and develop policies that will strike a balance between open space, development, and other objectives. Unless these decision-makers are better equipped, the city may risk losing one of its most valued assets - it world renowned parks system.

In response to the lack of information available on the economic value of parks in San Francisco, Neighborhood Parks Council is writing a report which will explain the importance of measuring the value of parks, estimate the impact parks have on property values in San Francisco, explore the role parks can play in economic development, and provide recommendations on how the city can maximize the economic value of its parks system. The report, Do Parks Make Cents? , will be available at the end of July 2007.

The following is a list of resources on the economic benefits of parks:

PARKS AND QUALITY OF LIFE