EXECUTIVE SUMMARY vii positively affects mental health by reducing stress levels and improving mood, with onward benefits from those outcomes to decreased use of mental health services and increased job productivity. With regards to social health, research suggests an association between parks and social cohesion and belonging whereby users experience greater community attachment with exposure to, and activities or programs in, local green spaces. Studies also suggest that time in the natural environment promotes prosocial behavior and builds social capital. Finally, parks and green spaces strengthen environmental health as measured by air quality and climate adaptations, such as temperature (including urban heat island effect) and the impact of adverse weather-related events on communities. As natural infrastructure, they encourage disaster planning and social resilience by fostering neighborhood connections and community ties, particularly following a disaster. These environmental health benefits can in turn generate other health benefits (e.g., improved air quality leading to reduced incidence and severity of juvenile asthma). A variety of tools and metrics are currently used to quantify some of these health benefits, but nothing robust exists for the field that combines all four health dimensions. Additionally, although the park equity research is strong, fewer studies focus specifically on linking the health benefits of equitable access to parks with their economic impact. In this report, we review a few of the more prominent tools available for park leaders and advocates and examine methodologies for measurement, including hedonic modeling, benefits transfer, and benefits tools. The existing research presents several key takeaways that need to be considered when estimating the health benefits of parks: 1. The literature is strongest in connecting the quantifiable value of parks for physical activity and physical health impacts and the value of green space for mental health well-being and environmental impacts. 2. Disentangling the actual causal relationship between parks and outcomes is challenging given the number of other factors, the variation in methodologies, and the range of characteristics different parks present. 3. Although individual- and even community-level impacts are moderately well understood, additional research is needed to understand the connection between parks and larger health systems. These considerations and opportunities for future research notwithstanding, the existing and growing body of research provides a sufficient foundation from which to estimate the health benefits of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTkzMzk=