Researchers have found that public parks can benefit citizens by providing opportunities for social interac-tion, fostering an appreciation for diversity, and increas-ing community involvement and pride.

Attractive, proximate public parks have been avail-able in the United States since the 1850s when Central Park first gave New Yorkers an escape from busy, hectic city life. During the Industrial Revolution, parks pro-vided factory workers an opportunity to socialize with other community members and to be physically active.

In today’s information age, with its urban sprawl, information overload, and dependency on automobiles and technology, the need for urban parks and their benefits remains.

Like their 19th-century counterparts, modern-day parks serve as venues for social interaction. In a study of park users in Los Angeles, California, more than 70 percent of the participants said that they interact with others when at the park.

Jamie Rae WalkerAssistant Professor and Extension Specialist–Urban Parks

The Texas A&M University System

Women surveyed at a park in Brooklyn, New York, described it as being “friendly,” “neighborly,” and “neigh-borhoody,” and as offering “a feel of a community.” Those park users said that they enjoyed encountering and “interacting with others whom they ordinarily might not.” The value and familiarity they enjoyed from visiting parks resulted from:

• “Chance meetings with friends and acquaintances in the park”

• “Becoming better acquainted with others whom they saw in the park regularly”

• “Developing a sense of familiarity and friendliness with strangers who nonetheless remained anony-mous”

The respondents also said that the park felt like “a small community” and that they valued the diver-sity of people they met. The researchers noted: “Some described very brief, casual encounters, such as a quick smile and ‘hello’ when they passed other joggers whom

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Parks: Providing Social Supportand a Sense of Community

they saw regularly, which were enough to foster a sense of familiarity, if not intimacy.”

A study of public spaces in two public housing devel-opments in Chicago found that the presence of natural elements, such as trees, can increase the likelihood of social interactions. Parks serve as “green magnets” that pull together people from different backgrounds and nearby neighborhoods.

Active-friendly environments help create a sense of community by fostering social interactions among neighbors and friends. Park users in Singapore said that proximity was important because “the neighborhood park provides a convenient place for social contact and interaction.” The park offers social opportunities and encourages the formation of relationships by providing a gathering place for groups such as teens and socially isolated mothers to meet other people.

Our increasing dependence on automobiles discour-ages physical activity and social interactions among neighbors. Residential patterns over the past 50 years have reduced the sense of community in urban areas, leading to disconnect, fragmentation, and social isola-tion.

However, West Virginia University researchers found that survey respondents who lived in walkable neigh-borhoods were more likely to know their neighbors, participate politically, trust others, and engage socially.

These findings indicate that good environments can encourage casual interactions at community places such as parks and walkable spaces, and that active-friendly communities promote social interactions that develop social capital.

Research on three greenway trails by Texas A&M University and the Texas Transportation Institute found that trails also foster social interactions—often a wave or smile—and a sense of community creating a sense of familiarity and contributing to the residents’ positive perception of their quality of life.

Some residents of Henderson, Nevada, credited the increase of their town’s sociability to recent devel-opments in their park system. As one community member explained, “Sociability between neighbors is reappearing in cities like Henderson because they have a developing park and trail system. ... It is a very welcome trend.”

As communities become more diverse and dense, planners need to locate and design community parks to provide opportunities for social interaction and cohe-sion as well as to help maintain community culture, interaction, and pride.

For more information“A Tale of Three Greenway Trails: User Perceptions

Related to Quality of Life.” By C. S. Shafer, B. K. Lee, and S. Turner. 2000. Landscape and Urban Plan-ning, 49(3–4): 163–178.

“City of Henderson Blazes a New Trail.” February 1998. Parks and Recreation.

“Health, Supportive Environments, and the Reasonable Person Model.” By S. Kaplan and R. Kaplan. 2003. American Journal of Public Health, 93(9): 1484.

Parks provide opportunities for social interaction among friends as well as strangers, which can foster community engagement and pride. Source: Jamie Rae Walker

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension ServiceAgriLifeExtension.tamu.edu

More Extension publications can be found at AgriLifeBookstore.org

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension provides equal opportunities in its programs and employment to all persons, regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.

New

Parkland Dedication Ordinances in Texas: A Missed Opportunity? By J. L. Crompton. http://www.agrilifebookstore.org/Parkland-Dedication- Ordinances-in-Texas-p/eb-6242.htm

Parkland and Open Space Planning: Urban and Munici-pal Park Planning Programs. agrilife.org/urbanparks

Park Use and Physical Activity in a Sample of Public Parks in the City of Los Angeles. By D. Cohen, A. Sehgal, S. Williamson, R. Sturm, T. L. McKenzie, R. Lara, and N. Lurie. 2006. RAND Corporation.

“Social Capital and the Built Environment: The Impor-tance of Walkable Neighborhoods.” By K. Leyden. 2003. American Journal of Public Health, 93:1546–1551.

“Urban Parks as Green Walls or Green Magnets? Inter-racial Relations in Neighborhood Boundary Parks.” By P. H. Gobster. 1998. Landscape and Urban Plan-ning 41(1): 43–55.

“Use and Experience of Neighborhood Parks in Singa-pore.” By B. Yuen. 1996. Journal of Leisure Research, 28(4): 293–311.

“Where Does Community Grow? The Social Context Created by Nature in Urban Public Housing.” By R. L. Coley, F. E. Kuo, and W. C. Sullivan. 1997. Environment and Behavior 29: 468–492.

“Women and Physical Activity in an Urban Park: Enrichment and Support through an Ethic of Care.” By K. Krenichyn. 2004 Journal of Environmental Psychology 24(1).

Cover photo: Since the 1850s, New York’s Central Park has been giving visitors a place to socialize with others, walk in a natural setting, and take a break from city life.Source: Jose Elias D’ La Crux (CC BY 2.0)