Researcher(s):
Rebecca Kidder
ENVS course(s): 330 Initiated: January 2014 Completed: May 2014 Go to project site
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Urban parks provide many benefits to the public, including improving mental and physical health of their users, offering a sense of community, as well as providing environmental benefits (Kabisch & Haase 2014). Research has only recently begun to be done regarding the locations of these parks compared with the distributions of varying socioeconomic and racial groups (Kabisch & Haase 2014, Boone et al. 2009). When considered in a context of environmental justice, this reveals a new facet of the significance of park spaces— as symbols of equity. Environmental justice (EJ), in this sense, assesses the equitability of distribution of environmental amenities, as opposed to the more common reading of EJ as the distribution of environmental hazards. If we consider urban green space to be an environmental amenity, then questions of fairness in allocation of those spaces across an urban area becomes essential. This research poses the question, Is the spatial distribution of neighborhood parks in Portland related the racial and socioeconomic demographics of Portland neighborhoods? If so, are there any infrastructural inequities in environmental amenities? Using maps of demographic data and park distribution in Portland, as well as park intercept surveys conducted by Portland Parks & Recreation, we found that while no obvious spatial pattern exists, there are important trends to note regarding demographic distribution that require further questioning. Regardless, there appears to be equitable access to parks for all groups, suggesting that Portland’s distribution of parks is not environmentally unjust. We give suggestions for further research on the quality of the parks, to truly determine if ‘all parks are created equal’.