THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF PARKS AND THEIR ECONOMIC IMPACTS 15 Social Health Social Cohesion Social cohesion refers to the social connections that exist among community members and how connected an individual feels to others (Kawachi and Berkman 2000). Social cohesion provides social benefits in terms of community connectedness but is also associated with other health benefits such as reduced levels of depression (Perez et al. 2015). Conversely, social isolation is associated with a number of negative health outcomes, such as being less healthy overall and being more susceptible to stress, depression, and cardiovascular issues (Jennings and Bamkole 2019). Evidence suggests that parks have a positive effect on social cohesion and sense of belonging (a critical measure in surveys of social cohesion), and engagement with park spaces can facilitate attachment to communities (Peters, Elands, and Bujis 2010). A cross-sectional study of the RESIDential Environments Project surveyed 911 residents in Perth, Australia, using a survey based on the 12-item Sense of Community Index (an established survey instrument measuring connection to community) and found that the perceived quality of public open spaces was positively associated with higher community attachment (Wood et al. 2017). Parks are also connected with increased levels of social engagement (Jennings and Bamkole 2019; Kaźmierczak 2013). There is some evidence that multiethnic interactions in public spaces, such as parks, yield benefits to social cohesion in diverse areas (Perez et al 2015; Peters 2010). A multimodal analysis of five urban park spaces in the Netherlands involving a survey and observations and interviews found similarities in park usage across ethnic groups and that urban parks facilitate interethnic interactions (Peters 2010). A study comparing the impact of vegetation levels in neighborhoods with park space found that general vegetation was positively correlated with reduced stress but negatively correlated with social support, as measured by self-reported surveys (Fan et al. 2011). Park spaces, however, were significantly correlated with positive impacts on both measures, suggesting that programmed park space may have a greater impact on overall health than general levels of neighborhood vegetation (Fan et al. 2011).
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTkzMzk=