in these mountainous areas，the rise and fall of a city

美国许多家庭无法进入安全的公共公园。根据公共土地信托基金的数据，1亿美国人，包括2800万儿童，在离家步行10分钟的范围内没有公园。

那些不住在公园步行距离内的家庭，外出、与朋友联系和锻炼的机会更少——这是一个问题。

绿色空间对家庭心理健康和儿童发展至关重要。研究表明，外出可以降低压力荷尔蒙，提高注意力，促进更好的睡眠，并有助于缓解抑郁和焦虑。对于孩子来说，户外玩耍的机会也有助于发展运动技能，甚至可以提高学习成绩。

公共土地信托基金总裁兼首席执行官黛安雷加斯说，科学支持人们需要能够到户外活动。

但是有时候，仅仅在附近有一个公园是不够的。全国许多公共公园和游乐场年久失修，无法使用，甚至危险。根据2021年国家娱乐和公园协会机构绩效评估，由于预算限制，许多公园和娱乐机构被迫推迟所需的公园维修。这导致公园基础设施老化。如果忽视维护，从排水系统和人行道到浴室和操场设备的一切都可能很快无法使用。

《科学》杂志称，在外面待的时间多的RELATED: 孩子是更快乐的成年人

旧金山一个游乐场关闭的图像。

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Pushing for Change in America's Parks

The Trust for Public Land is committed to addressing these problems in cities across the country with programs to protect land and create parks, trails, and other opportunities for folks to get outside. Smaller, local non-profit organizations like the San Francisco Parks Alliance in San Francisco, and Brilliant Detroit in Detroit, have similar missions and passion for revitalizing our nation's parks and ensuring all families have access to green spaces.

These groups are also committed to addressing the park equity gap, which describes disparities in who has access to parks. Data from the Trust for Public Land shows that in the 100 most populated U.S. cities, majority nonwhite neighborhoods have, on average, access to 44 percent less park acreage than majority white neighborhoods. Low-income communities have access to 42 percent less park acreage per person on average than high-income communities.

This year, San Francisco was recognized as the sixth-best city in the nation for park access, acreage, investment, amenities, and equity. But organizations are still hard at work improving the city's parks.

"San Francisco is still working very much on bringing the city up to equal standing as far as our parks and playgrounds," says Sonia Gonzalez Banks, director of external affairs, marketing, and development at the San Francisco Parks Alliance.

One local initiative is Let's Play SF!, a partnership between the San Francisco Parks Alliance and the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department to transform 13 of the city's most timeworn parks.

The Alice Chalmers Playground in San Francisco before Let's Play SF! revitalized the park. The Alice Chalmers Playground in San Francisco after Let's Play SF! revitalized the park. Left: The Alice Chalmers Playground in San Francisco before Let's Play SF! revitalized the park. | Credit: San Francisco Parks Alliance Right: The Alice Chalmers Playground in San Francisco after Let's Play SF! revitalized the park. | Credit: San Francisco Parks Alliance

With an eye on closing the park equity gap, Let's Play SF! prioritized parks in low-income or marginalized neighborhoods for revitalization. "We believe everyone should have access to safe welcoming, green places outside," says Gonzalez Banks.

The Let's Play SF! Team also prioritized parks in kid-dense neighborhoods and redid every city park that still had chromated copper arsenate, a potential harmful chemical preservative containing chromium, copper, and arsenic that protects wood from rotting, on its equipment. Of the 13 parks selected for revitalization, eight have been completed thus far. The remaining five are scheduled for completion by 2022.

Local parent Matthew Gubiotti lives near West Portal Playground, one of the 13 parks selected for revitalization through Let's Play SF! He participated in the revitalization project through a neighborhood group of park advocates called Friends of West Portal Playground. Gubiotti says that together the organizations and local volunteers transformed West Portal Playground from a site that had fallen into "terrible disrepair" into a beloved gathering place for the entire neighborhood.

Gubiotti joined the effort to make a difference in his community. "Having chosen to raise our children in San Francisco, I wanted to do our part to help revitalize one small corner of our neighborhood," Gubiotti says. "It brings me joy to see [the new park] getting such heavy traffic."

• RELATED: I'm a Mom and a Playground Designer: Here's How to Pick the Best Park for Your Kids

Even Small Parks Make a Difference

Across the country in Detroit, non-profit organization Brilliant Detroit is also working to close the local park equity gap. The organization focuses on building pocket parks in underserved urban neighborhoods as part of its broader mission to create "kid success neighborhoods"—areas where kids and families have everything they need within 20 minutes of where they live.

"The park system is an important piece of creating what I see as an ecosystem, where kids and families have a chance—so that zip codes don't predict whether a child's future is bright or not," says Cindy Eggleton, co-founder and CEO of Brilliant Detroit.

Unlike the larger 1.9-acre West Portal Park in Gubiotti's San Francisco neighborhood, a pocket park might be no larger than a quarter of an acre or about the size of a couple of house lots. But these smaller parks are just as beneficial to their communities.

Studies show that access to pocket parks supports physical and mental health and provides social benefits as a gathering space. Particularly in Detroit, Eggleton says that local parks serve as needed gathering spaces where kids can practice social skills and families can come together to strengthen community relationships.

Brilliant Detroit has started work on four pocket parks thus far, and the organization has plans to create 24 of them by 2024.

• RELATED: Why Natural Playgrounds Are Better Than Structured Playgrounds

What Parents Can Do to Help

At every step, these organizations have found that community involvement is vital to successful park revitalization. "Working with communities leads to the highest quality, the most vibrant, the most well-used and well-loved parks," says Regas.

While underinvestment is a major contributor to lack of parks or park disrepair, Regas says that investment alone won't solve the problem. "We do need to invest," she says, "But what makes a good park is a park that is loved by the community around it. That dynamic changes everything."

For parents or community members interested in joining a park revitalization project in their neighborhood, finding a local community group like Friends of West Portal playground is an excellent place to start. If your neighborhood doesn't have a local coalition, make one.

"Be noisy and persistent," suggests Gubiotti. "Be an advocate for the change you want to see, [and] find city stakeholders and partner with them to grow a coalition."

Eggleton agrees: "You should feel like you can demand [action] from your cities." Parents also shouldn't be afraid to start small. Every step toward ensuring the kids in your community have access to a park, says Eggleton, "really, really, really does matter."