Park Use in Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods: Who Uses the Parks and Why? 2018

Christine A Vaughan, and Natalie Colabianchi, and Gerald P Hunter, and Robin Beckman, and Tamara Dubowitz
RAND Corporation, 156 2nd St, San Francisco, CA, 94105, USA. cvaughan@rand.org.

We examined individual and environmental influences on park use among residents of two low-income predominantly African American neighborhoods to identify determinants of park use in lower-income urban neighborhoods. We analyzed data from interviews of 1003 individuals randomly selected from the neighborhoods, systematic observations of neighborhood parks, and police-recorded crime incidence within a .5-mi buffer around each park. Most participants (82.4%) had previously visited a neighborhood park, and nearly half (46.2%) had visited one in the past month. However, only 8.5% of participants were aware of their closest park. Compared with the parks closest to home, parks that participants reported visiting most were larger and had more amenities and features and fewer incivilities and reported crimes of a serious nature. Park use among residents of lower-income neighborhoods may be increased by offering more amenities and features and ensuring the presence of a well-appointed park within easy walking distance of residents' homes.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D010414 Pennsylvania State bounded on the north by New York and Lake Erie, on the east by Delaware and New Jersey, on the south by Delaware and Maryland, and on the west by Ohio and West Virginia.
D011203 Poverty A situation in which the level of living of an individual, family, or group is below the standard of the community. It is often related to a specific income level. Federal Poverty Level,Federal Poverty Threshold,Indigency,Low-Income Population,Absolute Poverty,Extreme Poverty,Indigents,Low Income Population,Federal Poverty Levels,Indigent,Level, Federal Poverty,Low Income Populations,Low-Income Populations,Population, Low Income,Population, Low-Income,Poverty Level, Federal,Poverty Threshold, Federal,Poverty, Absolute,Poverty, Extreme
D011633 Public Facilities Any facility owned, leased, or otherwise operated, or funded by a governmental body or public entity. Facilities, Public,Facility, Public,Public Facility
D012111 Residence Characteristics Elements of residence that characterize a population. They are applicable in determining need for and utilization of health services. Community,Domicile,Living Arrangements,Neighborhood,Place of Birth,Residential Selection,Arrangement, Living,Birth Place,Communities,Domiciles,Living Arrangement,Neighborhoods,Residence Characteristic
D001741 Black or African American A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/1997/10/30/97-28653/revisions-to-the-standards-for-the classification-of-federal-data-on-race-and-ethnicity). In the United States it is used for classification of federal government data on race and ethnicity. Race and ethnicity terms are self-identified social construct and may include terms outdated and offensive in MeSH to assist users who are interested in retrieving comprehensive search results for studies such as in longitudinal studies. African American,African Americans,African-American,Afro-American,Afro-Americans,Black Americans,Blacks,Negroes,African-Americans,Negro,Afro American,Afro Americans,American, African,American, Black,Black American
D004779 Environment Design The structuring of the environment to permit or promote specific patterns of behavior. Design, Environment,Healthy Places,Designs, Environment,Environment Designs,Healthy Place
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man

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