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2023 ParkScore® Report: The Power of Parks to Promote Health
We have evidence that parks are really good for individual and public well-being. Our new report examines the data and offers 14 recommendations for cities that want to address emerging health crises.
Published May 24, 2023
This year’s ParkScore® index ranks park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities, and our 2023 ParkScore® report underscores how powerful parks can be for addressing some of the most complex problems facing cities today, including health challenges such as rising obesity rates, mental health problems, and loneliness. From this analysis, we know that cities with the highest ParkScore rankings are healthier places to live.
In our 2023 report, we examine the evidence that shows how parks encourage physical activity and boost social cohesion, how they protect residents from climate-related health threats, and how they can deliver health equity to communities.
Park agencies across the country are partnering with nonprofits, hospitals, and health insurers on programs to break down economic and access barriers that prevent some people from experiencing the health-giving benefits of green spaces. Our report profiles just a few of the many examples of innovative approaches emerging in cities from Denver to Brooklyn, Chicago to Washington DC.
The most successful strategies for promoting health are those that ensure everybody in a community has access to parks and natural areas, make parks as health-promoting as possible, bring together resources from multiple fields including the health sector to deliver positive outcomes.
Read the Full 2023 ParkScore® Report
One-third of Americans, including 28 million children, lack safe, easy access to a park within a 10-minute walk of home. Urge your senators to pass the Outdoors for All Act to create parks and enhance outdoor recreational opportunities before the congressional session ends!
