Parks Have Social Superpowers. Let’s Make More of Them.

Howard Frumkin · Seattle Times · May 17, 2024

Howard is a Nature and Health researcher and Steering Committee member

Across our nation, the bonds of familiarity, trust and solidarity that sustain a strong society are badly frayed. One of the best tools we have to strengthen these bonds is parks and green space.

The social superpowers of parks play out in several ways:

• Social isolation
• Segregation and polarization
• Trust in institutions
• Civic engagement

Of course, parks and green space aren’t a panacea. Alone, they can’t mend our social fabric. But evidence shows that they can make substantial contributions — in ways that are affordable, practical and acceptable across the political spectrum.

Unfortunately, parkland is too scarce, and unequally distributed. According to research by Trust for Public Land, roughly 100 million Americans, including 28 million children, lack access to a park within a 10-minute walk of home — with communities of color and low-income communities being the least well-served.