The Olmsted Legacy: Parks, Green Spaces, and Human Health

April 28, 2022, via Zoom from the Linda Hall Library

Parks and green spaces aren’t just for nature—they can improve your health. Frederick Law Olmsted argued that great public parks would function as the “lungs of the city,” improving human health by providing fresh air and controlling the spread of diseases.

In this panel discussion, public health experts discuss 1) how the use of parks and urban green spaces lead to positive health outcomes, 2) the distribution and utilization of parks across different communities, and 3) how the efficacy of health programs related to green spaces vary across socioeconomic groups and populations.

The panelists:

Viniece Jennings, Assistant Professor of Public hHalth, Agnes Scott College Stephen Van Rhein , Ecologist and Environmental Manager, KC Parks
Robert Zarr, MD, MPH, Founder and Medical Director, Park Rx America

[brokenrulerlabs]

I hope people realize its about the amount of time and activities you engage in out in nature. Parks as we have them in cities are basically decorative strips. They are not actually useful spaces that passively improve your health. You have to get out of the urban bubble and actively engage with nature. Breathing good are will do very little for you unless you believe in the proximity miracles.

I live in a rural area on 45 acres/19 hectares, i walk the forest and river banks everyday with my 2 large dogs. We explore and roam for 2 to 4 hours a day. Movement is key to being in nature, much like a beach comber actively moves and bends, twists and leans to turn a 1 mile walk into a full body session.

We as humans have created an urban living system that has turned most people into domesticated soft lap pets. We no longer consider walking on a natural trail as normal to human nature. This is a problem.

If you are not 18 - 45, the urbanization system is not designed for your health or activity needs. Gyms and activity spaces are very poor substitutes. What good is a park if its designed to be safe? Nature is not safe. Our well being is suffering by being overly safe. What good is a tree if you cant climb it as a child or harvest its fruit or bark? These practices are how we developed. Those practices too us out into nature.