Parks, Rec. and the Future: some thoughts as the semester draws to a close
Jesse Baum and Christine Sandbach
To protect and better public natural lands here in the US, we propose:
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That green shared spaces are recognized as essential for communities, and be an integral part of all development planning
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That parks be distributed equally in affluent and poorer areas, as they are an important part of childhood development and mental health for adults
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That mass-conservation be recognized as important, but palliative measure. To save the biodiversity on Earth that we, as citizens of this planet treasure, we need to address the deeply entrenched systems f rampant consumerism and carbon based fuels that made this level of environmental degradation possible
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That we treat our parks and Natural areas with the respect and care that they deserve, recognizing that they are a public good worth FAR MORE than the sum of their parts
Our exploration in the science of parks confirmed what many students of the environment cite as the reason for their field of study- parks and outdoor spaces have a definite and measurable effect on the people that spend time in them. Parks lower stress, restore the ability to focus, and have even been shown to improve children’s performance in schools. They capture particulate matter from the air, giving people and animals respiratory respite from pollution, alleviate the heat island effect found in cities, and provide a crucial connection between people and the world around them.
However, the parks that we love, both in urban areas and the famous national parks found around the country face grave challenges. Climate change-flooding, droughts and other extreme weather patterns will continue to cause problems to the flora and fauna within the parks, and human use – though it provides a much needed link between people and natural areas, and encourages eco-consciousness – can be quite damaging to these areas. In addition, parks are generally utilized by the white middle class; about one in ten visitors to the national parks are non-white (despite these “minorities” comprising about thirty si percent of the current US population according to 2010 census data), and urban parks are (more often than not) segregated by class (and therefore generally by race), as affluent areas have better maintained and safer parks than poorer areas. How can we change how we plan developments so that they are “greener” and in an egalitarian way?
Additionally, parks and conservation will never be enough to solve the problems f the Anthropocene- not crushing apathy, or mass extinction, or deforestation. Parks have definite limitations. They can help endangered species rebound, guard biodiversity of plants and animals and help people see the importance of environmental activism, but they are not the final solution to the problems that we face- which are caused by much larger and more powerful systems- global capitalism and the burning of fossil fuels. But how can we change the way we see parks and natural areas to reflect this?