Community. It’s a fuzzy term, but it represents an important ideal that has been severely tested in recent years in the United States. We see it in our politics, in the culture wars that rage on social media, and in segregated neighborhoods and cities.
While there is no easy antidote to this polarization, there is a place — a physical locale — where we can begin to repair our fraying social fabric: the local park. Parks remain neutral public gathering places where community members can play, socialize, collaborate, and become involved in decisions about their communities. They welcome everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity, income, ideology, or age.
A recent study by Trust for Public Land (TPL) , a national nonprofit that connects everyone to the outdoors, of which Tamar is the New York State director, found that residents of cities with high-quality parks were more socially connected with their neighbors than residents of cities with less robust park systems. The analysis was part of TPL’s annual ranking of the park systems of the nation’s 100 most populous cities, known as the ParkScore® index. The analysis also found that in the 25 top-ranked cities (New York City ranked 12th) individuals in different socioeconomic groups were 26% more likely to have social connections than in lower-ranked cities.
The study also revealed that residents were 60% more likely to volunteer in high-ranked cities in lower-ranked cities. City leaders can bridge divides among residen.