More Inclusive Parks Planning: Park Quality and Preferences for Park Access and Amenities

Parks are increasingly viewed as places that prompt environmental justice analysis. While these studies have focused on inequalities in access to parks and amenities within parks, we offer a third important topic of study: the opinions and preferences of minorities with regards to park usage. We link empirical environmental justice analysis on parks with the core environmental justice belief that marginalized communities must have a voice in planning processes. Using data from two surveys conducted in Houston, Texas, we analyze the park preferences of these communities. Results show that park users in majority-minority neighborhoods primarily wish to see better park amenities, such as more and revitalized infrastructure, enhanced maintenance, and a safer environment, but are less concerned with increasing or improving connections between parks and neighborhoods. Further, the limited support for improved access to parks is contingent on park quality such that higher quality parks are associated with more support for increased access. As urban park systems in Houston and across the United States increasingly turn toward connected infrastructure such as linear greenways, our results portend that the success of such measures in majority-minority communities may rely on first rehabilitating existing parks. Overall, we highlight the importance of integrating community voices into parks planning.