Across the country this week, the 100 most populous cities are diving into the results of the Trust for Public Land’s annual ParkScore index, which measures how well park systems in the country’s largest population centers meet the needs of parks of its residents based on five key categories: equity, access, investment, services and surface area.
As part of that long-awaited launch, the Trust for Public Land also published research in a companion report revealing how parks are a proven tool for bringing people together in an increasingly divided world.
That report is also the basis for a call by the Trust for Public Land for a key change to the federal funding mechanism for parks and open space in historically disadvantaged communities, which, if successful, will have a direct positive benefit for Maine.
The report “The Power of Parks to Strengthen Community” highlights the country’s growing division in every major area (politics, economics, race, ethnicity and ideology), as well as how our cities reflect that unfortunate reality: three-quarters of Major cities are becoming more segregated in 2019 than in 1990.
The report also highlights specific findings from that divide, such as how half of American adults say they feel lonely and how that reality stems from numerous factors, including increased isolation that began during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
Fortunately, there is a lot of encouraging news in the Trust for Public Land report, as communities of all sizes already have a key tool that can help offset these significant challenges: public parks.
TPL’s analysis shows that residents of cities with the highest rankings were more socially connected and engaged with their neighbors than residents of cities with less robust park systems, and that people from different socioeconomic groups were significantly more likely to socialize with each other. Residents of cities in the top quarter of the index are 60% more likely to have volunteered in the past year than residents of lower-ranking cities.
By design, the ParkScore index focuses on the country’s 100 largest cities, but for smaller cities and towns, a related tool from the Trust for Public Land – ParkServe – is a valuable resource to see how many residents of Lewiston, Bangor or Saco live inside. 10-minute walk from a park, as well as where necessary areas of the park overlap with extreme heat, schools, air pollution levels, and other useful information.
Unfortunately, the federal government currently applies a high population threshold when funding parks through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership fund. This population limit creates a significant and unnecessary obstacle for smaller cities seeking to take advantage of funds that are proven to improve communities. To qualify for that funding right now, cities must have more than 30,000 residents, meaning only Portland, Lewiston and Bangor are eligible in Maine.
To open the door for smaller cities to access public financing, the Trust for Public Land is actively advocating for the Outdoors for All Act, which is currently in the US Senate and would lower the threshold to 25,000. residents for cities seeking funding for parks through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Association. It would also allow neighboring cities or towns with fewer than 25,000 residents individually to join together to apply. That change would immediately open the door for many communities in Maine and northern New England to have the opportunity to access these funds.
We encourage you to learn about the Outdoors for All Act, ParkScore rankings, and the “The Power of Parks to Strengthen Community” report, and support investments in public spaces that directly benefit our communities. of Maine.
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