Regularly spending time outdoors, like in a park or green space, is good for your physical, mental, and social health.
Parks and green spaces in urban areas provide environmental health benefits through improved air quality, stormwater management, and heat control. Trees and plants remove air pollutants, reduce runoff and filter stormwater flowing back into the ground, provide shade, and keep areas cooler compared to paved, unshaded surfaces. Buildings, roads, and paved surfaces are typically hotter, which contributes to the urban heat island effect, where areas with less vegetation experience hotter temperatures than greener areas.
Washington is home to many beautiful parks, trails, and open spaces. About 56% of people in Washington live within a half mile of a park, but not all neighborhoods have equal access to parks and green space. Inequitable access to green space is a health disparity that has disproportionately affected Black, Brown, and low-income communities historically and to this day.
Today, historically redlined neighborhoods, like East Central in Spokane and Seattle’s Central District, have fewer green spaces and experience negative health effects of environmental racism, like noise pollution, increased heat, and poor air quality.
Benefits of Parks and Green Space
Exposure to trees and vegetation can reduce your overall risk of several cardiovascular, respiratory, and mental health conditions, diabetes, and cancer. Additionally, parks and green spaces often encourage physical activity, which is beneficial to health in many ways. Time spent in nature can improve sleep and concentration, reduce stress, and improve mental health.
Benefits for Adults
- Reduces blood pressure
- Improves mood and cognitive functioning
- Lowers risk of diabetes, cancer, asthma, anxiety and depression
Benefits for Children
- Improves overall health
- Increases physical activity and outdoor play
- Lowers risk of asthma
- Improves development and learning
Parks and green space also consider other built environments like neighborhood conditions, transportation, and food access. Review funding opportunities.