chevron-down Created with Sketch Beta.

Human Rights Magazine

2024 October | Environmental, Energy, and Climate Justice

A Right to Nature: Addressing Disparities in Green Space Access

Emily G Bergeron

Summary

  • Low-income and BIPOC communities often lack access to green spaces, worsening health disparities.
  • Access to nature improves health and well-being but has been historically limited by discriminatory policies.
  • Equitable distribution of green spaces is essential for environmental justice and community health.
A Right to Nature: Addressing Disparities in Green Space Access
MarkFinal - stock.adobe.com

Jump to:

The Great Equalizer” is what officials, media, and much of the public deemed the pandemic to be when the world shut down for COVID-19. Although a lack of immunity to this novel virus was typical, the idea that the disease transcended income, race, or age was grossly inaccurate. Pandemics like COVID-19 underscore the health inequalities that disproportionately affect socially disadvantaged groups, including low-income and BIPOC  (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) communities. With indoor gatherings discouraged, and social distancing and outdoor gatherings promoted as ways to minimize contagion, access to public parks played a crucial role in public health and well-being.

As people sought places to congregate safely, park visitations increased; however, options for activity, stress relief, and social interaction were often inaccessible to communities without green spaces or those that contained overcrowded parks. Visiting parks outside the walkable range required public transportation, increasing the risk of exposure. These communities also often experienced higher rates of pre-existing conditions, increasing their vulnerability to the effects of limited exercise and increased stress.

Although environmental justice tends to focus on pollution, hazardous waste, and other environmental risks rather than recreational access, the pandemic clearly showed that unequal access to nature can impact a community’s health, well-being, and quality of life. The physical, psychological, and economic benefits of green space, all public goods, are well documented, as is the fact that BIPOC communities have limited access to these spaces for reasons associated with persistent discriminatory policies and practices, making lack of sufficient access to nature an essential environmental justice concern.

While “nature” might initially evoke thoughts of “wilderness,” any green spaces, including, but not limited to, parks and playgrounds, forest reserves, community gardens, sports fields, and streetscapes, can improve health outcomes. Research has even shown that the site of a tree through a hospital window markedly improved recovery time for post-op patients, demonstrating that even small efforts to provide “access” can lead to significant benefits.

The Nature Conservancy’s 2016 report, Outside Our Doors, synthesizes research on the positive outcomes of being in nature, including better physical health, mental well-being, and social cohesion. Green spaces within walking distance of one’s home correlate with better health outcomes, notably for homemakers, the elderly, and individuals from lower socioeconomic groups, all of whom are less likely to be physically active than others. People living near green spaces are more likely to exercise and less likely to be overweight or obese. Activity performed in natural settings also offers more benefits than those in hardscape environments and contributes more to long-term emotional well-being.

Nature also provides therapeutic advantages for people with mental health conditions and has been correlated with overall happiness. Time spent in nature also mitigates overstimulation from urban environments, improving cognitive functions like memory and attention. For children, regular interaction with nature supports cognitive development, improves impulse control, and reduces obesity, attention disorders, and depression. Green spaces mitigate environmental harm by improving air quality, reducing urban heat, managing stormwater, supporting biodiversity, sequestering carbon, and cutting noise pollution. Areas with more green space have been associated with reduced crime rates and can improve community interactions, strengthening social ties and healthier neighborhoods.

Sadly, the benefits of nature are not equitably distributed across communities. According to the Center for American Progress’s 2020 report, The Nature Gap: Confronting Racial and Economic Disparities in the Destruction and Protection of Nature in America, communities of color are three times more likely than their white counterparts to live in areas with limited access to nature. In the contiguous United States, 74 percent of communities of color face a nature deficit, compared to only 23 percent of white communities. Seventy percent of low-income communities face similar challenges, a rate 20 percent higher than those with moderate to high incomes. The problem is most severe for low-income communities of color, with over 76 percent of individuals in these communities living in nature-deprived areas.

These distributional disparities, coupled with the unjust experiences people of color may encounter outdoors described below, arise from the same discriminatory practices and social attitudes associated with usual environmental justice issues. Historical practices such as redlining, displacement, and other income-based segregation have led to unequal allocation of natural spaces. Urban renewal, sprawl, large-scale infrastructure projects, and extractive industries, all of which have damaged or destroyed green space, have disproportionately affected BIPOC and low-income communities. Furthermore, exclusion from public lands and green spaces and limited access to institutions that create, manage, and protect these areas affect visitation and access.

Beyond geographic limitations, participation in outdoor spaces has been marred by a history of negative encounters perpetuating the fear of being targeted in outdoor spaces. Fewer outdoor recreation resources, outreach, or community networks tailored explicitly to BIPOC communities exist, making it difficult for individuals to access information, feel welcomed, or find community support. Socioeconomic barriers also play a role, as the costs associated with outdoor recreation, such as travel, equipment, or park fees, can limit access. Underrepresentation in the conservation movement has been associated with the racial divide in access to nature.

The connection between human well-being and natural environments points to the need for measures that prioritize better access to nature’s economic, social, and health benefits. While research on this topic has clarified the relationship between lack of access to nature and health and social outcomes, policy needs to keep up with that research. The health and well-being, social cohesion, education, equity, and environmental stewardship aspects of access to nature already incorporate much of the language associated with the human rights framework. While the human right to nature has yet to be acknowledged, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly recognized the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment in 2022. Further, the UN Sustainable Development Goals include targets related to environmental sustainability and access to green spaces. Specifically, goals to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable include promoting access to green spaces and parks.

Some federal measures have been taken in the United States to address this environmental justice issue. For example, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) supports increasing access to green spaces, including urban parks in underserved communities. The 2020 Great American Outdoors Act authorized $900 million annually in permanent funding for LWCF, significantly enhancing access and facilities for all, particularly underserved groups. The National Park Service (NPS) focuses on improving visitation and infrastructure through its Urban Agenda, which seeks to enhance engagement of urban communities with national parks. The NPS has also tried to improve accessibility and inclusion through its Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program, which offers grants to develop or renovate parks in underserved urban communities. The Bureau of Land Management’s Community Partnerships program also improves access to public lands and supports conservation in underserved areas. More recently, President Biden’s 2021 Executive Order 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, which aims to protect 30 percent of U.S. lands and oceans by 2030, has the potential to create a more equitable distribution of green space. And though still awaiting congressional approval, the Outdoors for All Act (H.R. 1065 and S.448) proposes dedicated funding for outdoor recreational projects in urban and low-income areas.

Many cities have implemented programs to improve access to nature. For example, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, instituted a Green Infrastructure Plan focusing on stormwater management and public health by transforming gray spaces such as parking lots and schoolyards into green sites. The city’s HOME GR/OWN initiatives and Eco-Industrial Districts convert vacant lots and former brownfields into sustainable spaces utilizing community events and ecological restoration. Similarly, Fort Collins’ (Colorado) Nature in the City (NIC) program aims to create a network of open spaces by conducting assessments and public outreach, establishing goals for better access to nature, high-quality spaces, and a diverse urban landscape. NIC collaborates with educational institutions, homeowners associations, nonprofits, and city departments. In Kentucky, Louisville’s Parks For All Action Plan has created a comprehensive, long-term program to build equity in the city’s public park system by increasing funding to match national averages. The plan seeks to improve the quality and maintenance of public parks, particularly in areas that have yet to receive minimal investment. These cities are committed to integrating nature into urban settings through strategic planning and community partnerships.

Improving access to nature will require considerable efforts to improve the physical and human infrastructure currently supporting the creation, maintenance, and use of green spaces. Actions should begin with meaningful consultation and engagement with communities facing nature deficits. Empowering them in decision-making processes will help ensure that, moving forward, initiatives are inclusive and effective. Further, staff and leadership in relevant agencies must reflect the communities they serve, and these organizations must expand efforts to attract and engage diverse visitors through improved services such as education, outreach, and cultural programming. In addition to improving human capital and community empowerment, physical and economic investments must focus on restoring and protecting natural areas to leverage health and climate benefits.

    Author