Park Pride 2013

Park System Planning and Public Health

David Rouse Principal, WRT

Park Pride Annual Conference March 25, 2013

1. The Public Health Perspective

2. How Park Systems Can Improve Public Health

3. Case Studies • Cleveland Metroparks Strategic Plan • Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation Plan • GreenPlan Philadelphia

4. Discussion

What I Will Cover

The mission of the public health profession is to…

fulfill society’s interest in assuring conditions in which people can be healthy.

(Medterms Medical Dictionary)

Key Determinants of Public Health

• Behavioral: Tobacco use, exercise, diet, alcohol consumption, etc.

• Environmental: Exposure to toxic substances and other hazards in the built (and natural) environment.

• Social-economic-cultural: Education, income, and occupational status.

Action to address public health issues must be EVIDENCE-BASED.

How can park systems influence the key determinants of public health? What EVIDENCE supports this connection?

Connections Between Public Health and Park Systems

Triple Bottom Line Benefits

• Environmental: Parks improve air and water quality, which directly impact human health.

• Economic: Parks promote physical activity and other healthy behavior, resulting in reduced healthcare costs.

• Social: Parks (and the contact with nature they provide) alleviate mental stress and can help reduce health disparities.

Environmental Connection: Improved Air Quality

Temperatures in Baltimore City Parks were as much as 5o F. cooler at 2 pm and 13o F. cooler at 9 pm than in center city; cooling effects outside the parks averaged 36% of park diameter during the day and 78 % of park diameter during the night (Heisler et. al, 2007)

Vegetation in Philadelphia parks removes the equivalent of $1.5 million in air pollution annually (Trust for Public Land, 2008)

Economic Connection: Reduced Healthcare Costs

Protected open space in SE Pennsylvania yields $577 million in annual recreation benefits for residents

This recreational activity reduces medical costs by $795 million and lost productivity costs by $485 million, for a total of $1.3 billion savings annually provided by protected open space (Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, 2011)

Social Connection: Improved Mental Health

Exposure to natural environments improves the mental health of residents

In Philadelphia, regular interactions with nature could result in 13,000 fewer cases of mood disorders such as depression (Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholars Program, University of Pennsylvania, 2007)

Park System Planning and Design to Improve Public Health

How can park systems create conditions in which people can be healthy?

• Develop walking connections and access between and to parks from neighborhoods

• Provide facilities within parks to promote health (exercise trails, community gardens, etc.)

• Offer programs and services focused on health and wellness (fitness, nature education, etc.)

• Maximize parks as green infrastructure to improve environmental quality (land acquisition, tree planting, stormwater management, etc.)

• Ensure equitable access to parks and green infrastructure for poor/underserved communities

Cleveland Metroparks: Green Infrastructure for the Urban Community

Northeast Ohio’s Emerald Necklace: 21,315 acres in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County

Traditional mission focused on nature conservation, education, and recreation (in that order)

New directions set by Centennial Strategic Plan: • Restore urban ecosystems • Connect Cleveland Metroparks

to the urban core • Promote community health and

wellness

The region’s natural life support system, green infrastructure refers to a network of parks, greenways, trees, wetlands, and other green resources that provide essential environmental, economic, and community benefits and ecosystem services for the people of Northeast Ohio.

Environmental Benefits • Preserve habitat • Mitigate stormwater/flooding • Improve watershed health and

water quality • Improve air quality • Regulate climate • Sequester carbon

Economic Benefits • Attract businesses and workers • Generate revenue • Provide access to local businesses • Increase property values • Lower energy costs • Lower healthcare costs

Community Benefits • Enable recreation • Improve public health • Promote equity and access • Foster community • Provide gathering spaces • Connect people with nature

Leads to a greater return on investment over traditional “gray” infrastructure



Hough 64.0

Lyndhurst 88.5Cuyahoga County ranks 69th of 88 Ohio counties in health outcomes • 81st in physical environment • 78th in morbidity • 67th is socioeconomic factors • 57th in mortality

Most health disparities affect underserved groups (socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, etc.)


Traditional conservation mission focused on preserving the Emerald Necklace through suburban parts of Cuyahoga County

Hough

Hough


• Greenway/trail network inward from the Emerald Necklace

• Programs focused on health and wellness, nature education for urban youth

• Environmental restoration of vacant lands

Partner with universities, healthcare institutions, etc. in the above

Strategic Plan sets new direction to address health disparities of underserved groups:

Hough

• Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan led by the Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR)

• DPR manages 27,000 acres of parkland in the County and provides a broad range of facilities, programs, and services

• Plan adopts a comprehensive view of the county’s park and recreation resources with a focus on health and wellness to improve health outcomes

Prince George’s County: Building Partnerships for Public Health

Photos courtesy of the Prince George’s County Department of Parks & Recreation

Why Focus on Public Health?

Prince George’s County has poor health behaviors and outcomes when compared to other Maryland counties and national averages

• Ranks 17th out of 24 Maryland counties for overall health outcomes

• Exceeds state and national averages in:

• Premature deaths • Low birth weights • Adult obesity • Teen births • Sexually-transmitted diseases


Master Plan Goals

CONNECTIVITY Connect Prince George’s County residents to quality parks, trails, recreational facilities and programs, and schools.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS Improve the health (physical, mental, environmental) of Prince George’s County residents and promote a wellness ethic for the community as a whole.

$ ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Contribute to Prince George’s County economy and the financial sustainability of the community. Photo courtesy of the Prince George’s County

Department of Parks & Recreation


Master Plan Targets

Increase the trail network from 134 miles to 400 miles to meet the needs of the projected 2040 population Include a health and wellness component in at least 75 percent of DPR’s programs Reduce the percentage of the county population that is obese by at least 10 percent over the next 10 years

Photos courtesy of the Prince George’s County Department of Parks & Recreation


“Chronic diseases – specifically diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, and cancer – are the health conditions most amenable to improvement…in Prince George’s County.” (UMD School of Public Health, Public Health Impact Study)

Prince George’s County (with DPR as catalyst) is partnering with the UMD School of Public Health on a county health improvement initiative


Potential Partners

• PGC Health Department • PGC Healthcare Action Coalition

(responsible for implementing the PGC Health Improvement Plan)

• PGC Department of Parks and Recreation

• PGC Planning Department • PGC Public Schools • Institute for Public Health

Innovation • UMD School of Public Health

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=aIA-M_wcvhMVvM&tbnid=9kSetzdZx2uZwM:&ved=0CAgQjRwwAA&url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pgcps_logo.jpg&ei=_R5DUYbJOte84AOG-YDgBw&psig=AFQjCNG_ojJ--cRSSAfOJ2A9TNioIylRTg&ust=1363439741996118

http://institutephi.org/

GreenPlan Philadelphia: Parks Without Borders

Expands the definition of open space beyond parks to components of the city fabric and the benefits they provide

• Green elements and places

• Network of benefits: environment, economy, quality of life

Philadelphia will be a “greene Country Towne which will never be burnt, and always be wholesome.” - William Penn

Physical Framework


ELEMENTS OF GREEN PLACES

Trees

Stormwater Management Tools

Meadows

Trails and Bikeways

Wetlands

Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens

High Performance Surfaces

Renewable Energy

GREEN PLACES

Parks and Recreation Spaces

Green Schoolyards

Vacant Land Opportunities

Waterfronts

Green Streets

Green Development

Plazas and Auxiliary Spaces

Rail and Utility Corridor Enhancements

ENVIRONMENT GREEN QUALITY OF LIFE

Clean Air

Healthy Watersheds

Robust Habitat

Hospitable Climate

Fresh, Local Produce

Convenient Recreation Access

Healthy Residents

Strong, Safe Neighborhoods

ECONOMY

Efficient Energy Use

Valuable Properties

Productive Land Use

Competitive Economy

Network of Benefits

How many of these benefits improve public health?



Equitable access based on level of service

• % of people living within half mile of a park or playground

• Parks serving over 500 people per acre of park within the half mile radius

Served Area

Underserved Area


Street


Green Street


Schoolyard


Green Schoolyard


Neighborhood


Green Neighborhood


Alley


Green Alley


City


Greene Country Towne

Where’s the Money?

GOVERNMENTAL SOURCES

CDC Community Transformation Grants

– MaineHealth received $220,000 to implement no- or low-cost recreational programs for overweight youth and to develop a media campaign to encourage advocacy for recreational programs and facilities

HUD Sustainable Communities Planning Grants

– Shelby County, TN is funding a Greenways and Green Infrastructure Health Impact Assessment as part of a $2,619,999 grant for the Mid-South Regional Greenprint & Sustainability Plan

EPA Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance Grants

– The City of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management received $50,000 to help develop conceptual designs for potential greenspace in two neighborhoods


GOVERNMENTAL SOURCES

Stormwater Utility Fees

– Philadelphia, PA uses stormwater billing to fund green street and other green infrastructure projects ($18.5 million projected in FY 2014)

– The Lenexa, KS Rain to Recreation program uses stormwater utility fees and other funding sources to implement projects that manage stormwater and create greenspace

NONPROFIT & PRIVATE SOURCES

National Foundations/Grant Programs – The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Program

supports investments in parks and green infrastructure projects to reduce childhood obesity (41 communities received a total of $33 million under this program in 2012)


NONPROFIT & PRIVATE SOURCES

Local Health Care Systems/Institutions

– North Central Health Services in Wabash, IN contributed $500,000 to help fund the Wabash River Corridor environmental, economic, and recreational enhancement project

– Heart Clinic Arkansas raised $2.1 million to help the City of Little Rock fund the Medical Mile (part of the Arkansas River Trail)

Local Foundations – The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham raised more than $17 million to help

fund the City’s Three Parks Initiative, which will develop two new parks and enhance a nature preserve (the Foundation has a major initiative called People Can Lead Healthy Lives)

Local Businesses

– In Cary, NC, Greenways, Inc. donated its services and partnered with local businesses to use their waste products to develop the Swift Creek Recycled Greenway

How can we leverage the value of parks in improving public health?

How can the parks-public health connection be demonstrated by evidence?

Discussion

Documents

Park Pride 2013