In the recent midterm elections, voters across the country expressed widespread support for greener communities. More than twice as many ballot measures passed as in the previous year in support of land and conservation. This comes after years of federal and local support for green spaces.

As of May 2022, 300 US cities pledged to improve park access for all residents, especially those who are underserved. The American Rescue Plan Act, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 unlocked millions of dollars for local governments to earmark for park development, park improvements, and green space conservation. And 10 federal agencies signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize the Nature in Communities Committee, which aims to improve equitable access to nature.

Research shows parks and green spaces bring tremendous health benefits for individuals and communities, such as increased physical and mental wellness, strengthened social ties, and improved environmental outcomes. But measuring parks’ specific health contributions isn’t always simple.

Often, park practitioners need to collect their own local data to show how a park system has influenced health. To fill the gap, the Urban Institute recently published a framework to help park practitioners and local leaders assess the health benefits of equitable parks. Local government leaders, such as mayors, county commissioners, and agency heads, play a key role in determining green community investments.

I spoke with Mattie Parker, the mayor of Fort Worth, Texas; Joel McElhany, the assistant director of the Planning and Resource Management Division in Fort Worth’s Park and Recreation Department; and Monica Conrad, the director of Parks and Recreation for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government in Kentucky to learn how they champion equitable parks for healthy communities. Here are three lessons they shared, aligned with our framework, that can guide other local leaders.

Lesson #1: Being able to measure parks’ physical benefits is key to demonstrating their contribution to health and well-being

The pandemic spotlighted the importance of parks and green spaces as a health resource. These spaces became sanctuaries for people to safely socialize, exercise, improve moods, decrease anxiety, and access other great benefits, especially for those without private facilities.

In Fort Worth, use of the more than 100 miles of the Trinity Trails increased 55 percent (PDF) from 2019 to 2020. To gauge the trails’ health benefits, the North Central Texas Council of Governments collected data on who was using the trails and when.

“[At the start of the pandemic] community centers and libraries were shut down—parks were the new community space… because COVID drove people outside.… [Parks and green spaces were] a hidden gem that many families didn’t realize was available to them.”

—Mattie Parker, Mayor of Fort Worth

Quantifying the type and quantity of physical activity shows how they contribute to broader health outcomes. Our framework includes guidance on accessing publicly available data and collecting local data to measure leisure time, energy expenditure, and activities.

Lesson #2: People need access to parks to benefit from them

Across the US, parks and green spaces aren’t equally accessible. Because of restrictive zoning and other housing barriers, people of color and residents with low incomes are less likely to use these public spaces and more likely to live closer to smaller and lower-quality parks than white people and residents with high incomes.

To ensure these residents have park access, Lexington developed a robust master plan to inform park and recreation investment. The plan includes data on underserved communities and recommendations for prioritizing the development and maintenance of parks. Then, the Parks and Recreation Department engages community members to determine what amenities and programming residents want to see in their parks.

“We have a very conceptual plan for the park, but we’re asking the community, What courts do you want… What’s important for your neighborhood?… We also know that we won’t get to do everything, so that will help us prioritize our phase one investments and then think about a phase two or three.”

—Monica Conrad, Director of Parks and Recreation for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

To ensure process garners diverse perspectives, Lexington’s Parks and Recreation Department coordinates with community groups, attends neighborhood meetings, partners with young people and students, and spends time in the parks they plan to redevelop. The community engagement process can take time, but when done effectively, it fosters owners and stewards of the park.

Other local leaders looking for a place to start can consult our framework for guidance on how to develop a point-in-time snapshot of park access based on socioeconomic characteristics.

Lesson #3: The amenities, quality, and size of parks affect how equitable they are

To democratize park access, city leaders must also consider the types of spaces people have in their communities.

There’s been recent attention on the quality of parks and amenities available for residents in Fort Worth, which ranked low in this area for the Trust for Public Land’s 2022 ParkScore Index. In May 2022, the city approved a bond package that allocated $139 million for park and recreation improvements and the preservation of green space. The Fort Worth bond has been essential in centering the importance of parks and elevating them as critical community assets.

“The citizens are making the [park investment] case to us. They are in support of the bond programs.”

—Joel McElhany

Five million dollars of the new bond will go to the improvement of the recently renamed Ciquio Vasquez Park, which was once the home of the Southside Little League. Because of disrepair, it’s currently underutilized. The promised improvements include repairs to the ballparks, new playgrounds, upgraded picnic space, and new trails and lighting, providing park users a safe environment with appealing amenities.

Other local leaders seeking to inventory and improve their parks’ amenities, features, and programming can begin with Step 1 in our framework. Some of this work can be done spatially (such as by mapping hardcourts and trails) and some should be informed by local data (like park programs and the quality of the spatial amenities).

New investments offer new opportunities for parks

Newly available federal and local dollars offer local leaders an opportunity to invest in parks and green spaces. But to ensure they yield their desired health benefits and are equally accessible to all residents, using data and insights to inform development will be key.

“Park agencies struggle with, How do we use the data to make our investments important to the community? We can talk about usage numbers, but it’s not always available, and… it’s hard to qualify mental and social health [contributions].”

—Monica Conrad

With the growing attention on the importance of parks and green space, there will be consistent need for our framework and similar tools.