One hundred million people in America—including 28 million children—don’t have a park within a 10-minute walk of home. For some, green spaces are mostly seen in brochures or on TV—not in reality. And what should be available to us all—the great outdoors—is only available to some.
Trust for Public Land is working to change that. But we need your help, and we need it today.
In communities living with low-incomes and communities of color, parks are of lower quality, are less well maintained, and have less programming, than parks in higher-income or white communities. Park access also affects public health, with zip codes being a better indicator of health than genetic codes. When people have access to a quality park close to home, they experience better mental health, physical health, social well-being, and environmental health. Without it, health suffers.
We have to fix this, and time is not on our side. As climate change tightens its grip on communities across the United States, extreme heat, wildfires, and flooding are growing more frequent and severe. Research shows that communities with less green space are often hotter, have worse air quality, and are more susceptible to catastrophic flooding.
