Benefits of Green Areas & Parks by KAINAT MUNIBA KHAN

City parks and Green Areas/ open spaces improve our physical and psychological health, strengthen our communities, and make our cities and neighbourhoods more attractive places to live and work.

But too few people are able to enjoy these benefits, especially in metropolitan cities. Low income neighborhoods populated by minorities and recent immigrants are especially short of park spaces. From an equity standpoint, there is a strong need to redress this imbalance. Urban Planners and Urban Designers believed the parks would improve public health, relieve stresses of the urban life, and create a democratizing public space where rich and poor would mix on equal terms. By the mid 20 century, city parks and big green areas fell into decline as people inner cities for the suburbs.

Over the past decade, interest in city parks and green areas has revived. Government and civic groups around the country have revitalized run down city parks, community open spaces, built greenways along rivers, and planted gardens in vacant lots. Strong general evidences show that when people have access to parks, they exercise more. Regular physical activity has been shown to increase health and reduce the risk of a wide range of diseases, including heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer, and diabetes. Physical activity also relives symptoms of depression and anxiety, improves mood, and enhance psychological well being. Beyond the benefits of exercise, a growing body of a kid shows that contact with natural world improves physical and psychological health.

Many studies have shown that parks and open space increase the value of neighbouring residential property. Growing evidence points to a similar benefit on commercial property value. The availability of park and recreation facilities is an important quality of life factor for municipal corporations choosing where to locate facilities and for individuals choosing a place to live. Green space in urban areas provides substantial environmental benefits. Trees reduce air pollution and water pollution, they help keep cities cooler, and they are a more effective and less expensive way to manage storm water runoff than building systems of concrete sewers and drainage ditches. City parks and open spaces also produce important social and community development benefits. They make inner city neighbourhoods more liveable; they offer recreational opportunities for at risk youth, low income children, and low income families. Access to public parks and recreational facilities has been strongly linked to reductions in crime. In short the community gardens increase residents sense of community ownership and stewardship, provide a focus for neighbourhood activities, expose inner city youth to nature, connect people from diverse cultures, reduce crime by cleaning up vacant lots, and build community leaders.