Park systems can significantly improve public health by influencing key determinants like physical activity, air quality, and access to nature. The document discusses case studies of park system plans in Cleveland, Prince George's County, and Philadelphia that aim to maximize these public health benefits. The Cleveland plan focuses on connecting urban parks and restoring ecosystems. The Prince George's plan partners with health organizations to reduce obesity and disease through trails, programs, and policy. Philadelphia's plan expands the definition of open space to more components of the urban fabric.
'Presentation Kettunen & ten Brink at Iddri May 07 on the Values of Biodiversity Related Ecosystem Services. Enhancing the integration of biodiversity into policy and decision-making
Seismics and the City – Creating a Greater Christchurch – Envisioning. Engaging. Energising was held on 27th March 2015, Christchurch.
Earthquake Recovery Programme for the Natural Environment
This interactive workshop discussed the development and implementation of the earthquake recovery programme for the natural environment (NERP).
'Presentation Kettunen & ten Brink at Iddri May 07 on the Values of Biodiversity Related Ecosystem Services. Enhancing the integration of biodiversity into policy and decision-making
Seismics and the City – Creating a Greater Christchurch – Envisioning. Engaging. Energising was held on 27th March 2015, Christchurch.
Earthquake Recovery Programme for the Natural Environment
This interactive workshop discussed the development and implementation of the earthquake recovery programme for the natural environment (NERP).
This presentation from the 2015 New Mexico Recreation and Parks Association Conference introduces the concept of resilient parks and open space facilities that bounce back, thrive, and serve the community after suffering the shocks and stresses that occur in the Southwest, including drought, flood, disease, fire, crime, and a persistent lack of adequate funding for construction, operation, and maintenance. This presentation also explains the difference between sustainable design and resilient design for parks and recreation.
Mimi Burns, ASLA, LEED AP, is a registered landscape architect who has worked throughout the Southwest to develop sustainable and resilient landscapes that connect people to their natural environment and create lasting community landmarks.
This presentation from the 2015 New Mexico Recreation and Parks Association Conference describes the idea of optimizing community health and wellbeing with strategic design, operation, and maintenance decisions for park, recreation, and open space facilities. The presentation explores community-specific solutions and discusses the science and research that supports the correlation between park design and wellness.
Mimi Burns, ASLA, LEED AP, is a registered landscape architect who works with public and private clients to raise awareness of community health and wellbeing and to create custom strategies that facilitate community health, wellbeing, and happiness.
From the Bayous to the Bay: Increasing Houston’s Regional Urban Forest Sustai...Joshua DuBois
Oregon State University Master of Natural Resources capstone project. Integrating Urban forestry growth with regional greenway planning to increase both greenway network mileage and connectivity with urban forest growth and sustainability.
This presentation from the 2015 CEFPI Annual Conference provides an introduction to the WELL Building Standard, and focuses on key WELL metrics that are linked to neurological & cognitive benefits and are not typically part of design & operational discussions.
Co-Presented by:
Julie Walleisa, AIA, LEED AP, ALEP - Architect specializing in education design
Mimi Burns, ASLA, LEED AP - Landscape Architect & Planner
Andrea Hanson, AIA, CID - Interior Designer & Architect
What is MA?
Ecosystem services
Brief history of MA
Who governs MA
Organizational structure
How was the work of MA done?
How much did the MA cost and who funded it?
Millennium development goals of 2015
Main findings of MA
Healthy ecosystems provide a variety of such critical goods and services. Created by the interactions of living organisms with their environment, these “ecosystem services” provide both the conditions and processes that sustain human life. The awareness of ecosystem services’ importance in human life styles started more than 2500 years ago. Economists have developed different ways to measure the economic value of the nature, all of which required extrapolation or assumptions.
Ignorance, Institutions and Market Failure are the main reasons to the under-protected status of Ecosystem Services. The environment provides critically important services. Some of these are captured by markets, but many are not. They are positive externalities that are therefore regarded by the beneficiaries as free. As a result, many ecosystem services tend to be both under-conserved and undervalued. If beneficiaries had to pay for explicit service provision, however, governments would think differently about their policies and property owners would think very differently about sustainable land management practices. In basic economic terms, payments for ecosystem services (PES) seek to “get the incentives right” by capturing the positive externalities, by providing accurate signals to both service providers and users that reflect the real social benefits that ecosystem services deliver.
Voluntary agreements between buyers and sellers of ecosystem services for cash or other rewards creating markets for ecosystem services which provide incentives and finance to land and resource managers and thereby strengthening conservation and livelihoods are called as PES.
Wide range of potential buyers and sellers are available depending on the ecosystem service. When the market fails to reward on-site ecosystem service providers, or to compensate them for their costs (e.g. changing land use) charge off-site users for the benefits they enjoy (e.g. clean water) PES create a market for natural resources making conservation a more profitable land-use proposition. Information, technical barriers, policy and regulation and institutional barriers are the major challenges in implementing PES.
Creating economic incentives that encourage PES schemes, including environmental taxes and subsidies, transferable discharge permits and environmental labelling, developing specific PES projects with farmers, foresters and/or fisher folks in their region, or their watershed and providing incentives for the private sector to engage in PES schemes are some recommendations for a better PES system.
Preserving and restoring parkland, protecting critical watersheds, maintaining native wildlife and plant species, and providing high quality recreational activities are important for the future of the parks. The purpose of a Sustainability Plan is to ensure that Ottawa County will be able to maintain its current practices and develop a strategy for future opportunities with an ever-growing population and increasing park use.
The plan identifies goals Ottawa County Parks aspires to accomplish within five years, at which time the plan will be reviewed. The goals are organized into Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability. Objectives and actions will be included to specify the exact steps that must be taken in order to reach the indicated goals. The plan will be available to the public to review later this year.
Health Benefits of Green InfrastructureAPA_Planning
Communities across the country can use green infrastructure to promote individual and community health. Featuring three eminent green infrastructure practitioners and researchers, this webinar will discuss the varying health benefits of green infrastructure and how to incorporate health considerations into green infrastructure plans and projects.
This presentation from the 2015 New Mexico Recreation and Parks Association Conference introduces the concept of resilient parks and open space facilities that bounce back, thrive, and serve the community after suffering the shocks and stresses that occur in the Southwest, including drought, flood, disease, fire, crime, and a persistent lack of adequate funding for construction, operation, and maintenance. This presentation also explains the difference between sustainable design and resilient design for parks and recreation.
Mimi Burns, ASLA, LEED AP, is a registered landscape architect who has worked throughout the Southwest to develop sustainable and resilient landscapes that connect people to their natural environment and create lasting community landmarks.
This presentation from the 2015 New Mexico Recreation and Parks Association Conference describes the idea of optimizing community health and wellbeing with strategic design, operation, and maintenance decisions for park, recreation, and open space facilities. The presentation explores community-specific solutions and discusses the science and research that supports the correlation between park design and wellness.
Mimi Burns, ASLA, LEED AP, is a registered landscape architect who works with public and private clients to raise awareness of community health and wellbeing and to create custom strategies that facilitate community health, wellbeing, and happiness.
From the Bayous to the Bay: Increasing Houston’s Regional Urban Forest Sustai...Joshua DuBois
Oregon State University Master of Natural Resources capstone project. Integrating Urban forestry growth with regional greenway planning to increase both greenway network mileage and connectivity with urban forest growth and sustainability.
This presentation from the 2015 CEFPI Annual Conference provides an introduction to the WELL Building Standard, and focuses on key WELL metrics that are linked to neurological & cognitive benefits and are not typically part of design & operational discussions.
Co-Presented by:
Julie Walleisa, AIA, LEED AP, ALEP - Architect specializing in education design
Mimi Burns, ASLA, LEED AP - Landscape Architect & Planner
Andrea Hanson, AIA, CID - Interior Designer & Architect
What is MA?
Ecosystem services
Brief history of MA
Who governs MA
Organizational structure
How was the work of MA done?
How much did the MA cost and who funded it?
Millennium development goals of 2015
Main findings of MA
Healthy ecosystems provide a variety of such critical goods and services. Created by the interactions of living organisms with their environment, these “ecosystem services” provide both the conditions and processes that sustain human life. The awareness of ecosystem services’ importance in human life styles started more than 2500 years ago. Economists have developed different ways to measure the economic value of the nature, all of which required extrapolation or assumptions.
Ignorance, Institutions and Market Failure are the main reasons to the under-protected status of Ecosystem Services. The environment provides critically important services. Some of these are captured by markets, but many are not. They are positive externalities that are therefore regarded by the beneficiaries as free. As a result, many ecosystem services tend to be both under-conserved and undervalued. If beneficiaries had to pay for explicit service provision, however, governments would think differently about their policies and property owners would think very differently about sustainable land management practices. In basic economic terms, payments for ecosystem services (PES) seek to “get the incentives right” by capturing the positive externalities, by providing accurate signals to both service providers and users that reflect the real social benefits that ecosystem services deliver.
Voluntary agreements between buyers and sellers of ecosystem services for cash or other rewards creating markets for ecosystem services which provide incentives and finance to land and resource managers and thereby strengthening conservation and livelihoods are called as PES.
Wide range of potential buyers and sellers are available depending on the ecosystem service. When the market fails to reward on-site ecosystem service providers, or to compensate them for their costs (e.g. changing land use) charge off-site users for the benefits they enjoy (e.g. clean water) PES create a market for natural resources making conservation a more profitable land-use proposition. Information, technical barriers, policy and regulation and institutional barriers are the major challenges in implementing PES.
Creating economic incentives that encourage PES schemes, including environmental taxes and subsidies, transferable discharge permits and environmental labelling, developing specific PES projects with farmers, foresters and/or fisher folks in their region, or their watershed and providing incentives for the private sector to engage in PES schemes are some recommendations for a better PES system.
Preserving and restoring parkland, protecting critical watersheds, maintaining native wildlife and plant species, and providing high quality recreational activities are important for the future of the parks. The purpose of a Sustainability Plan is to ensure that Ottawa County will be able to maintain its current practices and develop a strategy for future opportunities with an ever-growing population and increasing park use.
The plan identifies goals Ottawa County Parks aspires to accomplish within five years, at which time the plan will be reviewed. The goals are organized into Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability. Objectives and actions will be included to specify the exact steps that must be taken in order to reach the indicated goals. The plan will be available to the public to review later this year.
Health Benefits of Green InfrastructureAPA_Planning
Communities across the country can use green infrastructure to promote individual and community health. Featuring three eminent green infrastructure practitioners and researchers, this webinar will discuss the varying health benefits of green infrastructure and how to incorporate health considerations into green infrastructure plans and projects.
9/9 FRI 11:00 | Communities Putting Prevention to WorkAPA Florida
Lillian Rivera
Maria I. Nardi
Joe Webb
John Bowers
Parks have long been recognized as major contributors to the physical and aesthetic quality of neighborhoods. Through a partnership with the Health Department and Communities Putting
Prevention to Work, a grant aimed at fighting obesity, a new broader view of parks in Miami-Dade County is (re)emerging. This new view goes well beyond the traditional value of parks as places of recreation and visual assets to focus on a park system as a planning tool to guide public and private development that includes the design of streets as linear parks and the coordinated development of civic spaces with parks. The session explores broad concepts to implementation.
Collaborative delivery of green infrastructure and water management solutions (e.g. SuDS) in the urban environment can realise multiple benefits including reduced flood risk, improved water quality and biodiversity, greater amenity and enhanced community health and well-being. In March 2016, the CaBA Urban Working Group, in collaboration with the Defra Urban Ecosystem Services Project (www.urbanwater-eco.services) and Ciria (www.ciria.org), hosted a series of workshops designed to build capacity and expertise within CaBA partnerships to help drive greater collaborative delivery within the urban environment.
Pathways to Happiness are tools for communities and governments seeking to restore and preserve our nature. They include model statutes, ordinances, reports and other resources. The full set for every domain of happiness can be found at http://www.happycounts.org/happiness-policies.html
This session is the first in a two-part program series about healthy communities planning in Orange County. In Part 1, you will learn about the nexus between public health and planning, and ways in which multi-sector efforts in Orange County can support the development of healthy communities. The presentation will also include a discussion of existing partnerships between cities and the county, and current national, state and local initiatives, concluding with a case study on a healthy community initiative that is currently being undertaken in the City of San Clemente.
Presentation from NACCHO 2013 Annual Conference featuring Erica Salem, MPH, Deputy Commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health, Kathleen Dickhut, BA, MSLA, Deputy Commissioner, City of Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development, Luann Hamilton, BA, MS, Deputy Commissioner, Chicago Department of Transportation, and Stephanie Whyte, MBA, FAAP, Chief Health Office, Chicago Public Schools.
This session highlights how non-public health City of Chicago agencies work with the Chicago Public Health Department to develop and implement a broad array of policy, systems, environmental, and programmatic solutions to public health challenges. While the work is occurring under a unified framework, each agency is able to contribute while fulfilling its unique mission.
The Next Vital Sign - Trees & Human HealthJosh Behounek
Ample literature has illustrated the key impact treed green spaces have on human health, and further research has shown severe inequity in access to green spaces. This inequity has a profound adverse impact on community and individual health. In this presentation, Jennifer Wisdom, M.D., will highlight peer-reviewed literature establishing this link, and Josh Behounek will outline concrete steps municipalities can take to improve access to greenspace with emphasis on social and environmental justice and equity in directing actionable movement.
Addressing Resilience (and Health?) through the Nexus of Water-Food-Energy: ...Gerard Lebeda
This presentation was made at the ICSU-Stakeholder Forum panel on July 17, 2018 at the UN High Level Political Forum, by Jo Ivey Boufford, President of the International Society for Urban Health. The main points are that “health” is not the same as “health care” and the dominance of concerns about the personal health care delivery system make it difficult to talk about the broader determinants of health that can be acted on in every sector. In addition, the broader public health framework of “Health in All Policies” lays out a possible unifying concept and governance model for the Nexus approach needed for sustainable cities.
This was a session on health in spatial planning delivered for a Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Public Health Policy Workshop
Dr. Aaron Wernham, RI Lt.Gov Elizabeth Roberts and Brown University's Terrie Fox Wetle discuss Health Impact Assessments in the Friday plenary session at EDRA44Providence.
The "Nature and Our Public Health" presentation by WRT Principal Ignacio Bunster-Ossa, FASLA was presented at the 21st Century City Conference, which was held in Dallas in November. The conference—hosted by the Trinity Trust, the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, and the Dallas CityDesign Studio—addresses the ever-growing trend toward the incorporation of nature into modern cities.
City of San Diego's General Plan and a prototypical Community Plan (San Ysidro) which have strong policies for sustainability and environmental justice
This presentation explores "big picture" demographic and economic trends as context for thinking about how Amherst and the Buffalo region might generate private investment in an era of fiscal scarcity.
A presentation for USGBC South Florida Local Government. EECBG Implementation Wallace Roberts & Todd
WRT Associate Rob Kerns was one of three people invited to make presentations at a USGBC South Florida Chapter panel entitled "Local Government Implementation of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants." His presentation discussed WRT's approach to sustainable comprehensive planning, using the firm's Biloxi Energy Strategy project as an example. Rob leads WRT's Energy Task Force, which is working with staff in all of WRT's offices on energy-related planning and design opportunities.
In January, Nando Micale presented the EPA-funded From Grey to Green, a report focusing on potential green infrastructure techniques for the Hartford, Connecticut region. The report used the vacant 1970’s vintage Parkade shopping center site in Manchester as a case study for the local council of governments’ Sustainable Communities Initiative.
On January 22, David Rouse of WRT and Storm Cunningham, CEO of the Resolution Fund, LLC in Washington, made a presentation at the New Green Economy Conference in DC. The purpose of this event, the 10th National Conference on Science, Policy, and the Environment, was to “engage leading thinkers and doers from a diversity of disciplines, sectors, and perspectives in a structured conversation about the meaning of the green economy and how investment in green education, research and jobs can help solve both the economic and environmental crises.”
David and Storm’s presentation was entitled “Funding Strategies for Green Community & Regional Development: Achieving Rapid, Resilient Renewal of the Natural, Built & Socioeconomic Environments.” David addressed the drawbacks of conventional economic development practices and alternative approaches drawn from WRT’s city and regional planning practice, using the Sustainable Economic Development Strategic Plan for Cumberland, MD as a case study. Storm presented new strategies for designing, funding, and perpetuating community revitalization as documented in his recent book reWealth (published by McGraw-Hill in 2008). Storm is also author of The Restoration Economy (2002).
Speakers at the conference included Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; David Gergen, Director of The Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University; Charles Holliday, Chairman and CEO Emeritus of DuPont; and other governmental, business, and nonprofit leaders. “The conference highlighted ways to create economic opportunities and jobs through strategies such as clean energy, green technology, and restoration of natural and built assets,” said WRT principal David Rouse. “The future lies in building a strong economy and healthy environment together.”
David Rouse of WRT is leading a panel at the annual state planning conference addressing the question: How Can Pennsylvania’s Communities Plan for a Sustainable Future? Other WRT presenters include Mami Hara (Infill Philadelphia: Food Access) and Robert Kerns (Zoning the Appalachian Trail: Implementing State Legislation to Protect a National Resource).
David Rouse of WRT is leading a panel at the annual state planning conference addressing the question: How Can Pennsylvania’s Communities Plan for a Sustainable Future?
In September 2008, WRT Principal Kathy Garcia and Landscape Designer Jennifer Martel joined 27 other young designers in New Buffalo, Michigan for the second Xtreme LA event.
Sponsored by site furniture manufacturer Landscape Forms and co-sponsored by The Landscape Architecture Foundation, the event brought together the designers for an intense three-day planning charrette. The purpose of the event was for the designers to brainstorm a design and development strategy for New Buffalo, a town that currently has no such strategy. The designers were divided into three teams and challenged to present their designs to the mayor and residents of the town.
WRT and PennPraxis received the Honor Award for Excellence on the Waterfront from the DC-based Waterfront Center for the Civic Vision for the Central Delaware and the accompanying Action Plan for the Central Delaware: 2008-2018. WRT Principal Nando Micale and PennPraxis' Harris Steinberg attended the award ceremony in Chicago's Drake Hotel on November 21st.
On April 26, David Rouse and Rob Kerns of WRT and Shawn McLaughlin, Union County, PA Planning Director, presented "The Sustainable Comprehensive Plan" at the American Planning Association's National Conference in Minneapolis. WRT's planners are developing an overall approach and specific techniques designed to integrate sustainability into plans and implementing regulations at scales ranging from cities and regions to downtowns and neighborhoods. The Union County Comprehensive Plan, which was featured in the presentation, represents an application of WRT's sustainable planning and zoning initiative. It includes sustainability principles and keys as an organizing framework, supported by specific actions and indicators to measure progress in achieving sustainability targets.
Union County is a rural county in central Pennsylvania that is rich in agricultural, natural, historic, and small town resources. The comprehensive plan, which is expected to be adopted by the county commissioners this summer, was prepared with extensive public participation using the "values-driven" planning process pioneered by WRT. Through this process county residents expressed a strong interest in energy conservation and other sustainability issues.
"Union County is remarkable in that it is a small community with limited fiscal and staff resources that has made a commitment to sustainability in its draft comprehensive plan," said David Rouse, WRT's principal-in-charge of the project. "We expect major cities such as Seattle, Portland, and New York City to lead the way in addressing issues such as climate change and peak oil. However, we need many more places like Union County to take on this challenge if we are to find our way to a sustainable future."
1. Park System Planning
and Public Health
David Rouse
Principal, WRT
Park Pride Annual Conference
March 25, 2013
2. What I Will Cover
1. The Public Health Perspective
2. How Park Systems Can Improve Public Health
3. Case Studies
• Cleveland Metroparks Strategic Plan
• Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation Plan
• GreenPlan Philadelphia
4. Discussion
3. The mission of the public health profession is to…
fulfill society’s interest in assuring conditions in which
people can be healthy.
(Medterms Medical Dictionary)
4. Key Determinants of Public Health
• Behavioral: Tobacco use, exercise, diet, alcohol consumption, etc.
• Environmental: Exposure to toxic substances and other hazards in
the built (and natural) environment.
• Social-economic-cultural: Education, income, and occupational
status.
Action to address public health issues must be EVIDENCE-BASED.
How can park systems influence the key determinants of public
health? What EVIDENCE supports this connection?
5. Connections Between Public Health and Park Systems
Triple Bottom Line Benefits
• Environmental: Parks improve
air and water quality, which
directly impact human health.
• Economic: Parks promote
physical activity and other
healthy behavior, resulting in
reduced healthcare costs.
• Social: Parks (and the contact
with nature they provide)
alleviate mental stress and can
help reduce health disparities.
6. Environmental Connection: Improved Air Quality
Temperatures in Baltimore City
Parks were as much as 5o F. cooler
at 2 pm and 13o F. cooler at 9 pm
than in center city; cooling effects
outside the parks averaged 36% of
park diameter during the day and 78
% of park diameter during the night
(Heisler et. al, 2007)
Vegetation in Philadelphia parks
removes the equivalent of $1.5
million in air pollution annually
(Trust for Public Land, 2008)
7. Economic Connection: Reduced Healthcare Costs
Protected open space in SE
Pennsylvania yields $577 million in
annual recreation benefits for
residents
This recreational activity reduces
medical costs by $795 million and
lost productivity costs by $485
million, for a total of $1.3 billion
savings annually provided by
protected open space (Economy
League of Greater Philadelphia,
2011)
8. Social Connection: Improved Mental Health
Exposure to natural environments
improves the mental health of
residents
In Philadelphia, regular interactions
with nature could result in 13,000
fewer cases of mood disorders such
as depression (Robert Wood
Johnson Health & Society Scholars
Program, University of Pennsylvania,
2007)
9. Park System Planning and Design to Improve Public Health
How can park systems create conditions in which people can be healthy?
• Develop walking connections and access between and to parks from
neighborhoods
• Provide facilities within parks to promote health (exercise trails,
community gardens, etc.)
• Offer programs and services focused on health and wellness (fitness,
nature education, etc.)
• Maximize parks as green infrastructure to improve environmental
quality (land acquisition, tree planting, stormwater management, etc.)
• Ensure equitable access to parks and green infrastructure for
poor/underserved communities
10. Cleveland Metroparks: Green Infrastructure for the Urban Community
Northeast Ohio’s Emerald
Necklace: 21,315 acres in
Cleveland and Cuyahoga County
Traditional mission focused on
nature conservation, education,
and recreation (in that order)
New directions set by Centennial
Strategic Plan:
• Restore urban ecosystems
• Connect Cleveland Metroparks
to the urban core
• Promote community health and
wellness
11. Cleveland Metroparks: Green Infrastructure for the Urban Community
The region’s natural life support system, green infrastructure refers to a
network of parks, greenways, trees, wetlands, and other green resources that
provide essential environmental, economic, and community benefits and
ecosystem services for the people of Northeast Ohio.
Environmental Benefits Economic Benefits Community Benefits
• Preserve habitat • Attract businesses and workers • Enable recreation
• Mitigate stormwater/flooding • Generate revenue • Improve public health
• Improve watershed health and • Provide access to local businesses • Promote equity and access
water quality • Increase property values • Foster community
• Improve air quality • Lower energy costs • Provide gathering spaces
• Regulate climate • Lower healthcare costs • Connect people with nature
• Sequester carbon
Leads to a greater return on investment over traditional “gray” infrastructure
12. Cleveland Metroparks: Green Infrastructure for the Urban Community
Cuyahoga County ranks 69th of 88 Lyndhurst 88.5
Ohio counties in health outcomes Hough 64.0
• 81st in physical environment
• 78th in morbidity
• 67th is socioeconomic factors
• 57th in mortality
Most health disparities affect
underserved groups (socioeconomic
status, race/ethnicity, etc.)
13. Cleveland Metroparks: Green Infrastructure for the Urban Community
Traditional conservation Hough
mission focused on
preserving the Emerald Hough
Necklace through suburban
parts of Cuyahoga County
14. Cleveland Metroparks: Green Infrastructure for the Urban Community
Strategic Plan sets new direction to address health disparities of
underserved groups:
• Greenway/trail network
inward from the Emerald Hough
Necklace
• Programs focused on
health and wellness,
nature education for
urban youth
• Environmental restoration
of vacant lands
Partner with universities,
healthcare institutions, etc.
in the above
15. Prince George’s County: Building Partnerships for Public Health
• Parks, Recreation, and Open
Space Master Plan led by the
Department of Parks &
Recreation (DPR)
• DPR manages 27,000 acres of
parkland in the County and
provides a broad range of
facilities, programs, and services
• Plan adopts a comprehensive
view of the county’s park and
recreation resources with a focus
on health and wellness to
improve health outcomes Photos courtesy of the Prince George’s County
Department of Parks & Recreation
16. Why Focus on Public Health?
Prince George’s County has poor health
behaviors and outcomes when
compared to other Maryland counties
and national averages
• Ranks 17th out of 24 Maryland
counties for overall health outcomes
• Exceeds state and national averages
in:
• Premature deaths
• Low birth weights
• Adult obesity
• Teen births
• Sexually-transmitted diseases
17. Prince George’s County: Building Partnerships for Public Health
Master Plan Goals
CONNECTIVITY
Connect Prince George’s County residents to quality
parks, trails, recreational facilities and programs, and
schools.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Improve the health (physical, mental, environmental)
of Prince George’s County residents and promote a
wellness ethic for the community as a whole.
$ ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Contribute to Prince George’s County economy and the
financial sustainability of the community. Photo courtesy of the Prince George’s County
Department of Parks & Recreation
18. Prince George’s County: Building Partnerships for Public Health
Master Plan Targets
Increase the trail network from 134 miles to 400
miles to meet the needs of the projected 2040
population
Include a health and wellness component in at
least 75 percent of DPR’s programs
Reduce the percentage of the county population
that is obese by at least 10 percent over the next
10 years
Photos courtesy of the Prince George’s County
Department of Parks & Recreation
19. Prince George’s County: Building Partnerships for Public Health
“Chronic diseases – specifically
diabetes, heart disease, hypertension,
asthma, and cancer – are the health
conditions most amenable to
improvement…in Prince George’s
County.” (UMD School of Public
Health, Public Health Impact Study)
Prince George’s County (with DPR as
catalyst) is partnering with the UMD
School of Public Health on a county
health improvement initiative
20. Prince George’s County: Building Partnerships for Public Health
Potential Partners
• PGC Health Department
• PGC Healthcare Action Coalition
(responsible for implementing the
PGC Health Improvement Plan)
• PGC Department of Parks and
Recreation
• PGC Planning Department
• PGC Public Schools
• Institute for Public Health
Innovation
• UMD School of Public Health
21. GreenPlan Philadelphia: Parks Without Borders
Expands the definition of open
space beyond parks to
components of the city fabric and
the benefits they provide
• Green elements and places
• Network of benefits:
environment, economy,
quality of life
Philadelphia will be a “greene Country Towne
which will never be burnt, and always be
wholesome.”
- William Penn
22. GreenPlan Philadelphia: Parks Without Borders
Physical Framework
ELEMENTS OF GREEN PLACES GREEN PLACES
Trees
Parks and Recreation Spaces
Stormwater Management Tools
Green Schoolyards
Meadows
Vacant Land Opportunities
Trails and Bikeways
Waterfronts
Wetlands
Green Streets
Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens
Green Development
High Performance Surfaces
Plazas and Auxiliary Spaces
Renewable Energy
Rail and Utility Corridor Enhancements
23. GreenPlan Philadelphia: Parks Without Borders
Network of Benefits
ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY GREEN QUALITY OF LIFE
Clean Air Efficient Energy Use Fresh, Local Produce
Healthy Watersheds Valuable Properties Convenient Recreation Access
Robust Habitat Productive Land Use Healthy Residents
Hospitable Climate Competitive Economy Strong, Safe Neighborhoods
How many of these benefits improve public health?
24. GreenPlan Philadelphia: Parks Without Borders
Equitable access based on level
of service
• % of people living within half
mile of a park or playground
• Parks serving over 500
people per acre of park
within the half mile radius
Served Area
Underserved Area
35. Where’s the Money?
GOVERNMENTAL SOURCES
CDC Community Transformation Grants
– MaineHealth received $220,000 to implement no- or low-cost recreational programs for
overweight youth and to develop a media campaign to encourage advocacy for recreational
programs and facilities
HUD Sustainable Communities Planning Grants
– Shelby County, TN is funding a Greenways and Green Infrastructure Health Impact
Assessment as part of a $2,619,999 grant for the Mid-South Regional Greenprint &
Sustainability Plan
EPA Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance Grants
– The City of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management received $50,000 to help
develop conceptual designs for potential greenspace in two neighborhoods
36. Where’s the Money?
GOVERNMENTAL SOURCES
Stormwater Utility Fees
– Philadelphia, PA uses stormwater billing to fund green street and other green
infrastructure projects ($18.5 million projected in FY 2014)
– The Lenexa, KS Rain to Recreation program uses stormwater utility fees and other
funding sources to implement projects that manage stormwater and create greenspace
NONPROFIT & PRIVATE SOURCES
National Foundations/Grant Programs
– The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Program
supports investments in parks and green infrastructure projects to reduce childhood
obesity (41 communities received a total of $33 million under this program in 2012)
37. Where’s the Money?
NONPROFIT & PRIVATE SOURCES
Local Health Care Systems/Institutions
– North Central Health Services in Wabash, IN contributed $500,000 to help fund the Wabash
River Corridor environmental, economic, and recreational enhancement project
– Heart Clinic Arkansas raised $2.1 million to help the City of Little Rock fund the Medical Mile
(part of the Arkansas River Trail)
Local Foundations
– The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham raised more than $17 million to help
fund the City’s Three Parks Initiative, which will develop two new parks and enhance a
nature preserve (the Foundation has a major initiative called People Can Lead Healthy Lives)
Local Businesses
– In Cary, NC, Greenways, Inc. donated its services and partnered with local businesses to use
their waste products to develop the Swift Creek Recycled Greenway
38. Discussion
How can we leverage the value of parks in
improving public health?
How can the parks-public health
connection be demonstrated by evidence?