QUALITY PARKS FOR EVERYONE 2022 Capstone project by nicole rogge
I Project Mission and Overview Introduction Quality Parks for Everyone evaluates access to good quality parks in the Uptown 2030 District Neighborhoods. The vision of this project is for every resident to have safe, easy, and walkable access to a good-quality park. Trust for Public Land (TPL) identifies that 87% of Cincinnati residents live within a 10-minute walk of a quality park. Overall, there is a large inventory of parks and greenspace, but TPL does not have any measurable data that assess their quality. I designed six measures to assess park quality; amenities, seating, walking paths, shade, plant life, and security, and found that only 5 of the 36 parks and green spaces have all of these qualities present. To address the lack of good-quality parks in the neighborhoods, I explored several tactical design solutions that can be implemented at a community level in order to meet all six of the good-quality park measures.
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2030 District Overview The 2030 District Network is an organization that wishes to reduce energy and water consumption in buildings and also reduce transportation emissions by the year 2030. They currently have twenty-three cities as a part of the 2030 District Network, all with similar goals. Cincinnati’s 2030 District has four overarching goals. The first goal is to have a 50% reduction in energy use in existing buildings and to go carbon-neutral for new buildings. The Second goal is to have a 50% water use reduction. The third goal is to have a 50% reduction in transportation emissions. The fourth goal is mainly what Quality Parks for Everyone addresses, and it is to improve occupant health and wellness (2030 Districts Project Portal, n.d.). Cincinnati has two 2030 District areas; one in Uptown and the other in the Central Business District. The Uptown 2030 District is made up of areas of CUF, The Heights, Clifton, Avondale, Corryville, and Mt Auburn. Quality Parks for Everyone assess the park quality of all of the parks and green space in these six neighborhoods. 10-minute Walk According to the 2018 Green
Figure 1: 2030 Uptown District Boundary. Source: 2030 Districts Project Portal: High performance building districts
Cincinnati Plan, In the natural systems section of the plan, the 4th goal is to “Make the 100% Promise to ensure that everyone in your city has safe, easy access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk of home by 2050” (2018 Green Cincinnati Plan, 2018). They also make a recommendation to improve the tree canopy and access to green space in the city. When this plan was published, it states that 76% of city residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park or greenspace. Trust for Public Land estimates that percentage has jumped to 87% in 2021, meaning nearly all of Cincinnati’s residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park or greenspace. The vision of the 10-minute walk project by TPL is for every resident to
have safe, easy, and walkable access to a good-quality park. There are many parks and green spaces in the Uptown 2030 District neighborhoods, but many of them are lacking key elements that make them quality parks. The purpose of this project is to evaluate park quality in Uptown using six variables; amenities, seating, walking paths, shade, plant life, and security, to identify what parks are contributing to a good quality of life for residents and then to identify tactical design solutions than can be done on a community-level to increase park quality. Sustainability Parks and green space with a variety of plant life contributes to a healthy community because they 3
help cool and clean the air. Native flowering trees, shrubs, and perennials in community parks and green spaces bring essential pollinator insects and birds like butterflies, honeybees, flies, and moths, which are an important part of the ecosystem and provide them and other small mammals with a habitat. Equity Having walkable, safe, and quality parks and green spaces in a community contributes to a greater quality of life for residents and can increase equity in a community. Parks are not an amenity, they are a critical community asset that is often underfunded. The community’s demographics can determine what is needed in a space to reflect the community’s interests and priorities. It is important to recognize the needs of community members when deciding what they would like to see in their local park. “Centering residents as decisionmakers in how funding is used can spur economic development and ensure more equity” (Burrowes, 2020). Homes in close proximity to parks also can increase property values, “Research of property values has shown that a 5% increase in property values for houses within 500 feet of a park is a conservative estimate of the change in property value due to proximity 4
to a park” (The Trust for Public Land, n.d.). Pandemic Social isolation during the beginning of the pandemic has caused increased stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In a study from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows, “63 percent of young people reported experiencing substantial symptoms of anxiety and depression (Walsh, 2021)” as a result of social isolation during the pandemic. The pandemic has increased park use by local residents. “Parks played an important role for people seeking respite from the toll of social isolation during the pandemic, and according to U.S. National Science Foundationfunded research from Drexel University, they did so without increasing the spread of COVID-19” (National Science Foundation, 2021). During the pandemic, local parks provided a space for residents to be outside and around others while also maintaining social distance and not spreading the virus. For residents not living within walkable distance of a quality park, they were not able to have this experience during the pandemic. Benefits of Parks Access to parks and green space
provides residents with many social and health benefits. They support human health and wellness, by having amenities such as walking and jogging paths, and athletic fields. Which can help residents avoid chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and respiratory problems. Having walkable access to quality parks enables residents to utilize them more often than if they were not walkable. An article from NRPA lists many health benefits of parks; improved general mood and attitude, stress reduction, better mental health functioning, improved mindfulness and creativity, and building social capital (Wolf, 2017). Parks and greenspace also have many environmental and ecological benefits. Parks with lots of trees can improve the air quality in the area. “By protecting open space and creating parks, trees and other vegetation are also preserved and protected, often planted. This vegetation plays a significant role in improving air quality in the region” (Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, 2013). High tree canopy coverage can remove a percentage of harmful gases like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide from the air. Trees can also filter pollutants like dust, gases, and soot from the air (Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, 2013). This is a
significant environmental and public health benefit in highly urbanized areas like the 2030 District neighborhoods. The urban heat island effect is another significant climate change issue affecting urban areas. The heat island effect occurs when there is a significant lack of trees in highly impermeable areas, causing temperatures to increase substantially. It can, “exacerbate air pollutant problems and lead to increased energy use and greenhouse gas emissions” (Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, 2013). Therefore planting trees to increase the tree canopy can have an indirect effect on CO2 by reducing energy use demands, and therefore reducing emissions from power plants. Parks and greenspace with high amounts of plant life can improve the water quality in urban areas. As the amount of imperviousness increases in a watershed, the velocity and volume of stormwater runoff increases” (Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, 2013). Stormwater runoff can cause many issues in the urban environment like flooding, erosion, pollution in nearby waterways, and impaired aquatic habitat. Parks and greenspace with high amounts of plant life can restore biodiversity and habitat 5
protection in the urban environment as well. Neighborhood Data It is important to note some key equity statistics of the 2030 District Neighborhoods in order to fully understand the importance of Urban Parks, and the walkability and physical accessibility to those parks. Uptown is a very populous area, CUF is the most populous neighborhood in Uptown with 16,412 residents, followed by Avondale with 12,286 residents, then Clifton with 8,458 residents, then Mt Auburn with 4,797 residents, and lastly, Corryville with 3,859 residents (Even et al., 2021). Life Expectancy The Cincinnati Climate Equity Indicators Report released in 2021 identifies many statistics in each Cincinnati Neighborhood. This data can be used to evaluate the overall quality of life of residents in each neighborhood. Some neighborhoods in Uptown have a significant population under the age of 18. In Avondale, 27.3% of the population are children, in Clifton 18.5% of the population are children, and in Mt Auburn 21.2% of the population are children 6
(Even et al., 2021). The large population under the age of 18 presents a need for recreation and play opportunities within walking distance of residences. Life expectancy in some of the neighborhoods is also lower than average. In CUF, the average life expectancy is 62.7 years. In Avondale, the average life expectancy is 68.9 years and in Corryville it is 69.6 years (Even et al., 2021). For perspective, the United States’ national average life expectancy is 77.3 years in 2020 (CDC, 2021). In the Cincinnati Neighborhood of Mt Adams, the life expectancy is 87.8 years (Even et al., 2021). Lower life expectancy is often linked to a lower quality of life. “An analysis of nearly 2,500 participants in the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP) showed those who had a healthy diet, got plenty of physical activity, and participated in cognitive exercises lived longer than those following a less healthy lifestyle” (Anderson, 2022). Those who have more healthy living opportunities are more likely to live longer lives. But many residents in certain neighborhoods with lower quality park access and other factors do not have those opportunities available to them, making it more difficult to live out long, healthy lives.
Obesity and Diabetes
Renters in Uptown
People living with obesity and diabetes are also reported in the document. In Avondale, 48.8% of the population are obese and 24% are diabetic. In Mt Auburn, 42% of the population are obese and 15% are diabetic (Even et al., 2021). Walkable parks with recreation opportunities can lead to health benefits and overall higher quality of life and decreasing the risk of developing overweight and obesity related health problems (CDC).
The report also identifies the percentage of renters in each neighborhood. Those who rent are more likely to live in an apartment or a home with little or no access to a private backyard space. This is not always true but it can be a contributing factor in people’s lacking access to parks and green space. Corryville has the most renters, with 91.9% of the residents renting their home. CUF is the secondhighest with 83.5% of the population renting, followed by Avondale with 77.2%, then Clifton with 66.9%, and then Mt Auburn with 65.1% of the population renting their home (Even et al., 2021). The high percentage of renters in each Uptown Neighborhood presents a need for more high quality and walkable public parks and green spaces.
Tree Canopy Coverage The report also identifies tree canopy coverage in each neighborhood. The lowest coverage is in Corryville at 2%. This is likely due to a majority of the land area taken up by the University of Cincinnati Hospital Campus. Mt Auburn has a 15% tree canopy coverage, CUF is 17%, Avondale is 18%, and Clifton is the highest at 38% (Even et al., 2021). Tree canopy coverage is important because a higher coverage can contribute to a reduction in the Urban Heat Island effect and help mitigate the effects of climate change.
The Climate Equity Indicators Report proves that residents are not living as high of a quality of life because they do not have opportunities and resources available to them in order to have a high quality of life. Expanding park and green space access and enhancing park quality is just a small piece of the puzzle.
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II Research 10-Minute Walk Project According to the 2021 City Park Fact Sheet, released every year by the Trust for Public Land, Cincinnati is one of the fastest-growing cities with its population living within a 10-minute walk of a quality park or greenspace, Shown in Figure 2. The 10-minute Walk is an organization and its mission is to get community leaders to make a promise to have 100% of residents living within a safe 10-minute walk of a quality park or green space by 2050. Former Mayor John Cranley signed on to this promise during his
term. In 2021, 87% of Cincinnati residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park or greenspace. In 2018, the number was just 71%, which is a 13% increase in just three years (Trust for Public Land, 2021). But, are all of these parks and green spaces really quality parks that contribute to a higher quality of life for residents? Interview with Trust for Public Land Will Klein conducted data collection for the City Park Fact Sheet from Trust for Public Land and he was interviewed for Quality Parks for Everyone. Will explains that a 10-minute walk is a .5-mile radius around a park or green space that follows the road and sidewalk network. But it does not take into account sidewalk quality and topography. In areas where the sidewalk quality is poor or there is a lot of elevation
Figure 2: Cities with the Greatest increase of population with a 10 minute walk to a park Source: 2021 City Park Facts by Trust for Public Land
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change, a park may be less accessible. The 10-minute walk organization also stresses the importance for residents to have, “Safe and easy access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk”. But Will Klein states that they do not have any
variables that measure what is a quality park. All of the parks that TPL define to be a park are shown in figure 3. This includes a lot of areas that have no amenities or are institutional greenspace. Institutional greenspace includes the grassy areas
2030 District Neighborhood Parks Versus Non-Parks
Figure 3: Parks & Greenspace Versus Institutional Greenspace in Uptown Cincinnati Source: Greenspace Data from Trust for Public Land and CAGIS
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around churches, schools, universities, etc. They even define the Cincinnati zoo as a park that serves 3,090 people. Case Study Quality Parks for Everyone aims to have quantifiable variables that measure park quality. A case study in Warsaw Poland by Magdalena Błaszczyk, Marzena Suchocka, Magdalena WojnowskaHeciak, and Magdalena Muszyńsk, surveyed people with mobility difficulties and their insight about park use. They found that higher accessibility leads to higher park use and that proximity to parks and other urban green spaces (availability) increases people’s willingness to visit them. This case study examines both physical accessibility and mobility accessibility to parks (Błaszczyk et al., 2020). It defined the reasons why they go to parks and if they prefer neighborhood parks or destination parks, and what are physical barriers in parks. The importance of access increases for residents with limited mobility who, facing obstacles due to inadequate adjustment to the surrounding physical space, are exposed to social exclusion (Błaszczyk et al., 2020). Overall, city residents with mobility difficulties find those green public 10
spaces an important element of their life quality. They defined several reasons that make people more willing to go to parks; the presence of sidewalks, accessible benches & picnic tables, restrooms, safety & opportunity for socialization, lighting, signage, landscape design, and maintenance frequency. Evaluating Park Quality
I designed six measures to evaluate park quality; amenities, seating, walking paths, shade, plant life, and security. Examples of park amenities are basketball courts, playgrounds, swings, outdoor workout equipment, baseball fields, tennis courts, and more. Amenities are important to a park because it gives the user something to do in the space. Seating includes benches and picnic tables that are accessible from a sidewalk or pathway. Seating is important because it provides a place for users to relax and enjoy the park. Walking paths can include any type of path that is ADA accessible like; concrete, gravel, and compacted mulch. It allows users to easily travel from one area of the park to another. Shade can be a physical park shelter or if the tree canopy is large enough, it can also provide shade. Shade is an important
Figure 4: Burnet Woods Park Shelter
element of a park because it provides relief from the sun on a hot day. Plant life includes well-maintained landscaping with a variety of different plants or a variety of different trees. It is important to have a variety of plants and not just grass at a park because it provides visual interest, supports wildlife, and it’s beautiful. Security includes fencing or a barrier between the park and other areas like busy roads. It is important because having a sense of security at a park allows the user to feel safe and protected, making it more inviting for users to stay and relax. All of these measures much be present in a park in order for it to be considered a quality park.
Park Quality in Uptown Using these six quality measures, the quality of each of the 36 parks in the Uptown 2030 District was evaluated. The presence of each of these variables determined the score of the park. 6 being the highest score and 1 being the lowest score. Only 5 of the 36 parks scored 6 out of 6. This means that only 13% of existing parks in Uptown Cincinnati are quality parks according to the quality measures. These parks are; Mt Storm Park in Clifton, Burnet Woods and Inwood Park in CUF, and Fleischmann Garden and Seasongood Square in Avondale. The quantity of parks for each score is shown in Figure 5. 11
2030 District Neighborhood Parks Quality Assessment
Figure 5: Evaluating Park Quality on the Map
The Trust for Public Land identifies a service area around each of the parks and how many people live within that area. Meaning the residents that live within a .5 mile walk or less to the park. The combined service area of each of these 5 parks ranked 6 out of 6 is shown in Figure 6. The combined park service
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area for these five parks covers only a fraction of the total land area. The population density of the Uptown neighborhoods has also been identified to show how parks in more densely populated areas serve a greater number of residents and residents who likely have less access to personal green
2030 District Neighborhood Parks Service area for Parks Scored 6/6
Figure 6: Parks scored 6 out of 6 service area Source: Data from Trust for Public Land and CAGIS
space like a back or front yard. This is shown in Figure 7. The park that serves the most people is Burnet Woods with 11,095 people served. The second highest park service area is Hollister Rec Area serving 9,404 people and it scored only 3 out of 6. If the lower scoring parks brought up their score, they could be serving a greater population.
2030 District Neighborhood Parks Service area for Parks Scored 6/6 and Population Density
Figure 7: Parks scored 6 out of 6 service area & Population Density Source: Data from Trust for Public Land, CAGIS, & US Census Bureau
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III Proposal
populated areas of the Uptown Cincinnati Neighborhoods. To provide these missing two quality measures in some of the parks, there are simple solutions that can be achieved on a community level. Tactical Design Solutions:
There are currently only 5 parks that have all of the 6 park quality variables present in the 2030 Uptown Neighborhoods. Figure 8 shows the park service area for parks scored 4 out of 6. There is a clear difference between this map and the service area of parks scored 6 out of 6. Figure 8 shows that if these scores were to be brought up to 6 out of 6, by adding the missing two park quality variables, they could be serving almost all of the residents in the most densely
Tactical Urbanism in planning typically refers to coming up with cheap, simple, and east methods of making an area safer, more welcoming, and appealing from the human scale. “According to Mike Lydon, [a] public space expert at Street Plans, tactical urbanism is short-term action for a longterm change” (ParCitypatory, 2020). But, how can some of these ideas be applied to urban parks in Uptown Cincinnati?
Park Service Area and Population Density
Figure 8: Parks scored 4 out of 6 service area & Population Density
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Figure 9: Container converted into outdoor dining space. Source: Tom Holub on flicker.com
There are other elements that can be simply implemented into a local park to increase their quality. This could be a simple mulch or gravel path connected to different park amenities or simply adding new picnic tables and benches. Native plant seeds can also be planted to provide habitat for pollinator species. Trees and shrubs can be planted around the perimeter of the park to give the park a better sense of security.
Figure 10: City street parket. Source: Trevor Dykstra on Flickr.com
I played around with several tactical design solutions to provide at parks that have missing quality measures. Many of the parks and green spaces are missing shade like Sacred Heart Playground, Bowdle Park, Forest & Irving Rec Area, Rockdale Rec Area, Avondale Rec Area, and many more. An old container can be used as a park shelter If the side walls are cut out. Figure 9 shows a container that has been painted and turned into a cover for outdoor restaurant dining. The painting of this could become a fun community event as well. Figure 10 shows a parklet in the city streets. These wooden boxes can be used as stepping blocks for children to play on. The PVC pipes could also be used to make an interactive musical instrument at a park.
11 Priority Parks I identified 11 parks in the Uptown 2030 District Neighborhoods to prioritize implementing these ideas first, based on their service area coverage. Using Trust for Public Land’s service area coverage data, I identified 11 parks and green spaces whose service area would cover a majority of the area. This means, that if these 11 parks brought up their park quality scores, most of the residents would have walkable access to a quality park or greenspace in Uptown. Those parks are Rawson Woods, Dunore Park, Fairview Park, Coy Park, Jackson Hill Park, Caramalt Playground, Hauck Botanical Gardens, Avondale Rec Area, Woodward Park, and Forest & Irving Rec Area. If all of those parks, in combination with the already scored 6 out of 6 parks, increased their scores to 6 out of 6, their service area covers a majority of the 15
2030 District Neighborhood Parks Quality Assessment
Figure 11: Priority parks and their service area Potential overlapped with the current quality parks service area Source: Park Service Data From Trust for Public Land
neighborhoods. This is shown in Figure 11. Sustainability, Equity, and Pandemic Having quality parks in Uptown with a variety of plant life allows for a cleaner more sustainable ecosystem for plants and animals, creating a healthier, more sustainable community. Quality parks also can increase quality of life of 16
residents in an area where resident’s quality of life is not as high enough because of lacking resources. Quality parks can be a piece of the puzzle in raising resident’s quality of life. More walkable quality parks and green spaces allows residents to experience the benefits parks can have on mental health and wellness. Someone that many people struggled with during the Pandemic
from 2020 and on. Conclusion Quality Parks for Everyone hopes to improve park quality for existing parks and green space in the Uptown 2030 District Neighborhoods. By Identifying what existing parks are missing key quality elements, and identifying where solutions need to be implemented first to serve a majority of the community, it can help solve the issue of quality park walkability. Implementing these missing elements into parks does not have to be a costly operation done through many levels of leadership. They can be done on a small scale by the community through community councils or citizen councils, similar to what the ideas of tactical urbanism achieves. Having higher quality parks and green space in communities, allows residents to live a higher quality of life. If gives residents more opportunities to experience the health benefits that parks can have. There are many quality of life issues in the Uptown Neighborhoods, according to the Cincinnati Climate Equity Indicators Report, having accessible, walkable, and quality parks can just be a piece in solving the puzzle.
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References 2018 Green Cincinnati Plan. (2018, May). Retrieved April 22, 2022, from https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/sites/oes/assets/File/2018%20Green%20 Cincinnati%20Plan(1).pdf 2030 Districts Project Portal: High performance building districts. 2030 Districts Project Portal | High Performance Building Districts. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.2030districts.org/cincinnati/ about Anderson, P. (2022, April 14). Healthy Living tied to a longer life and dementia-free old age. Medscape. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https:// www.medscape.com/viewarticle/972171 Burrowes, K. (2020, November 20). Five ways to center equity in Park and recreation spending that can help new funding go further. Urban Institute. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.urban.org/urbanwire/five-ways-center-equity-park-and-recreation-spending-can-helpnew-funding-go-further Błaszczyk, M., Suchocka, M., Wojnowska-Heciak, M., & Muszyńska, M. (2020). Quality of urban parks in the perception of city residents with mobility difficulties. PeerJ, 8. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10570 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, July 21). Life expectancy in the U.S. declined a year and half in 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2021/202107.htm Economic benefits of Parks. ConservationTools. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://conservationtools.org/guides/98-economic-benefits-ofparks#:~:text=Proximity%20to%20parks%20increases%20property%20 value%20and%20increases%20revenue%20from,to%20proximity%20 to%20a%20park Environmental Benefits. Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. (2013, September 3). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.cmap.illinois. gov/about/2040/supporting-materials/process-archive/strategy-papers/ parks-and-open-lands/environmental-benefits
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Even, T. L., Trott, C. D., Gray, E., Roncker, J., Harrison, T., Sullivan, S., & Revis, S. (2021). (rep.). Climate Equity Indicators Report - 2021, City of Cincinnati. American Cities Climate Challenge Equity Capacity Building Fund, Bloomberg Foundation. Parks not only safe, but essential during the pandemic. National Science Foundation. (2021, May 27). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://nsf.gov/ discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=302788&org=NSF&from=news ParkServe. Trust for Public Land. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https:// www.tpl.org/parkserve Rogge, N., Klein, W. (2022, March 10). Trust For Public Land Parks Interview. personal. Tactical urbanism: Creating long-term change in cities through short-term interventions. parCitypatory. (2020, July 31). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://parcitypatory.org/2020/07/31/tactical-urbanism/ Trust for Public Land. (2021). (rep.). 2021 City Park Facts. Walsh, C. (2021, February 17). Young adults hardest hit by loneliness during pandemic, study finds. Harvard Gazette. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/02/young-adults-teensloneliness-mental-health-coronavirus-covid-pandemic/ Wolf, K. L. (2017, April 3). The health benefits of small parks and Green Spaces: Health and wellness: Parks and Recreation Magazine. NRPA. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreationmagazine/2017/april/the-health-benefits-of-small-parks-and-greenspaces/
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