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Improved Street Walkability, Incivilities, and Esthetics Are Associated with Greater Park Use in Two Low-Income Neighborhoods

Journal of Urban Health volume 97, pages 204–212 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Parks may provide opportunities for people to increase their physical activity and improve health. Yet, parks are generally less plentiful and underutilized in low-income urban neighborhoods compared with more advantaged neighborhoods. Renovations within and around parks may improve park utilization but the empirical evidence supporting this relationship is scarce. This study assessed the impact of greenspace, housing, and commercial investments on street characteristics (walkability, amenities, incivilities/poor esthetics) and park use by examining park use over time in two low-income neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, PA (n = 17 parks), before and after neighborhood-based renovations that were primarily centered in one neighborhood. We used systematic observation of parks, park use, and street blocks surrounding parks to examine the impact of neighborhood changes on park use. We used difference-in-differences to test whether park use and street characteristics surrounding the parks improved more in the intervention neighborhood than in the comparison neighborhood. We also used zero-inflated negative binomial regression with interactions by time to test whether changes in street characteristics were associated with changes in park use over time. We found that improved walkability, incivilities, and esthetics surrounding parks in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods were associated with greater park use and may help increase visits to underutilized parks.

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Acknowledgments

The authors express sincere appreciation and gratitude to La’Vette Wagner, field coordinator of the Pittsburgh Hill/Homewood Research on Eating, Shopping, and Health study, and the data collection staff. In particular, we acknowledge Jennifer Sloan and Alvin Nugroho who provide essential support to the project. The authors thank the Hill House Association, Operation Better Block, and Homewood Children’s Village. Without their participation, the study could not have happened. Funding was provided by the National Cancer Institute (Grant No. R01CA164137 “Impact of Greenspace Improvement on Physical Activity in a Low Income Community” and National Heart Lung Blood Institute (Grant No. R01 HL122460 “Neighborhood Change: Impact on Sleep and Obesity-Related Health Disparities”).

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Affiliations

  1. Social and Economic Wellbeing Division, RAND Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Andrea S. Richardson, Madhumita Ghosh-Dastidar, Rebecca L. Collins, Gerald P. Hunter, Wendy M. Troxel & Tamara Dubowitz

  2. School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2013, USA

    Natalie Colabianchi & Deborah A. Cohen

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  1. Andrea S. Richardson
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  2. Madhumita Ghosh-Dastidar
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  3. Rebecca L. Collins
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Correspondence to Andrea S. Richardson.

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Richardson, A.S., Ghosh-Dastidar, M., Collins, R. et al. Improved Street Walkability, Incivilities, and Esthetics Are Associated with Greater Park Use in Two Low-Income Neighborhoods. J Urban Health 97, 204–212 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-019-00416-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-019-00416-7

Keywords

  • Parks
  • Physical activity
  • Neighborhood