Who has more walkable routes to parks? An environmental justice study of Safe Routes to Parks in neighborhoods of Los Angeles

《Who has more walkable routes to parks? An environmental justice study of Safe Routes to Parks in neighborhoods of Los Angeles》

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关键字: GOOGLE STREET VIEW; URBAN GREEN SPACE; PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY; BUILT ENVIRONMENT; PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENT; WALKING; AUDIT; WALKABILITY; HEALTH; INCOME

作者单位: [Rigolon, Alessandro; Gasparian, Nara] Calif State Univ Northridge, Northridge, CA 91330 USA. [Toker, Zeynep] Calif State Univ Northridge, Dept Urban Studies & Planning, Northridge, CA 91330 USA. [Rigolon, Alessandro] Univ Illinois, Champaign, IL USA. Rigolon, A (reprint author), Univ Illinois, Dept Recreat Sport & Tourism, Huff Hall,1206 S Fourth St, Champaign, IL 61820 USA. E-Mail: rigolon@illinois.edu

摘要: The walkability of streets located near parks matters for public health and environmental justice. Urban parks could help address increasing health concerns in the United States; however, parks tend to be inequitably distributed, and unsafe or uncomfortable routes to parks might be additional impediments to park use. We therefore seek to uncover whether low-income ethnic minority communities near a neighborhood park have less walkable routes to parks, compared to wealthier and Whiter areas. We use Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley as a case study and a street audit tool measuring walkability through microscale variables (e.g., pedestrian facilities). We find that low-income neighborhoods near parks have higher traffic volumes, fewer shade trees, and street environments that are less clean and well maintained compared to high-income areas and that similar disparities exist between ethnic minority and White communities. These inequities could deter low-income people of color, especially children, from visiting urban parks.