The Perks of Parks
Seattle voters will be deciding on a new parks levy this November. Former Sightline intern Todd Burley reminds me that parks confer a whole range of benefits that sometimes get overlooked. (Todd's now involved with Seattle Parks For All.)
So in the interest of not overlooking those benefits, here are some intriguing studies from The Trust For Public Land:
- The Benefits of Parks (white paper)
- The Health Benefits of Parks
- Quantifying the Greenhouse Gas Benefits of Urban Parks (white paper)
I haven't read or analyzed these reports -- and so I'm not vouching for them -- but I'm linking to them because I think these these sorts of things can add to a good civic conversation. It's pretty easy to quantify a levy's tax liability or land acquisition acreage, but the benefits to health, climate, and equity are often a lot less clear.
Sightline isn't taking a position on the parks levy, but we do wish everyone "happy reading" and "happy voting." Feel free to advocate in comments...
