Health-promoting Potential of Parks in 35 Cities Worldwide

TL;DR

This study assesses how different park features across 35 cities worldwide support various health-related activities, revealing patterns and gaps that can inform urban planning for better public health outcomes.

Contribution

It introduces a novel lexicon linking park elements to health activities and provides a large-scale scoring of parks' health-promoting potential globally.

Findings

North American parks emphasize physical activity

European parks promote nature appreciation

Urban parks near city centers support health activities better

Abstract

Urban parks are important for public health, but the role of specific spaces, such as playgrounds or lakes, and elements, such as benches or sports equipment, in supporting well-being is not well understood. Based on expert input and a review of the literature, we defined six types of health-related activities: physical, mindfulness, nature appreciation, environmental, social, and cultural. We built a lexicon that links each activity to specific elements and spaces within parks present in OpenStreetMap. Using this data, we scored 23,477 parks across 35 cities worldwide based on their ability to support these activities. We found clear patterns: parks in North America focus more on physical activity, while those in Europe offer more chances to enjoy nature. Parks near city centers support health-promoting activities better than those farther out. Suburban parks in many cities lack the spaces and equipment needed for nature-based, social, and cultural activities. We also found large gaps in park quality between cities. Tokyo and Paris provide more equal access, while Copenhagen and Rio de Janeiro show sharp contrasts. These results can help cities create fairer parks that better support public health.