The Inequity of Green Space
How green space access reflects the discrepancies in our cities
Introduction
Green spaces are everywhere around Boston, or so we think! In reality, access to green spaces varies greatly by zip code around the city. Here we will explore the implications of this discrepancy and try to provide an overview of the issue in the city of Boston.
Specifically:
How does the availability and quality of green space change in relation to demographics, such as socioeconomic status and race?
What is green space?
Experts in the field define green space as an area of grass, trees, or other vegetation set apart for recreational or aesthetic purposes in an otherwise urban environment. Green spaces and parks have been the center of community engagement events and recreational activities for neighborhood residents from the dawn of urban living. However, it seems like with the boom and mass migration of people to cities, access to these parks is getting more restricted. Individuals like Christopher Cook and Liza Meyer of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department and Austin Blackmon the Boston Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space are working with city leadership to find a local solution.
"Open spaces are lands that are not developed for building purposes. The term is synonymous with “green space” and can include parks, natural areas, athletic fields or courts, plazas, waterfront areas, community gardens, and cemeteries." - Boston Parks and Recreation
"Green space is an area of grass, trees, or other vegetation set apart for recreational or aesthetic purposes in an otherwise urban environment." - US Environmental Protection Agency
Measures
Interestingly, the most important factor is to figure out who lives in an area. Do they fall into what Massachusetts classifies as Environmental Justice Populations?
-In Massachusetts a neighborhood is defined as an Environmental Justice, or EJ, population if any of the following are true:
- Block group whose annual median household income is equal to or less than 65 percent of the statewide median ($62,072 in 2010); or
- 25% or more of the residents identify as a race other than white; or
- 25% or more of households have no one over the age of 14 who speaks only English or English very well
Once the demographics have been established, experts can look at the accessibility of parks by calculating what portion of the population in a neighborhood can reach a green space by walking. They also examine the distribution of facilities around parks, such as libraries and schools.
Another important element is population density. This measures how many people are in an area as well as the needs of that group. To find a ‘need score’ experts analyze a series of factors including income, minority status, age, and primary language--essentially their Environmental Justice Population status.
Along with population density experts determine how much open space acreage there is available per 1,000 residents to make it easier to compare areas across the city.
Here are some actual measures at work, comparing population density (right) to acres of open space access per 1,000 residents (left):
Population Density (Left) versus Acres of Open Space Access per 1,000 Residents (Right)
Impact of green space on a larger scale
Nationally:
The cities examined by the study
When looking at data from major cities across the country, specifically New York City, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Phoenix, St. Louis, Chicago, Houston, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis, researchers from the University of British Columbia found that “access to urban vegetation is associated with traditional markers of privilege in US cities and that there is widespread evidence of green inequity.” Although the exact Massachusetts "Environmental Justice Populations" criteria are not used nationally, these markers of privilege are very similar, such as higher incomes, higher education levels, and whiteness.
Overall access to green space by city
Additionally, the researchers found that the disparity in access to green space could not be contributed solely to population density. This is a very important distinction because often inadequate green space is brushed off as the result of these populations living in denser areas.
The study found that lack of access to urban vegetation can have health implications, as the populations who are most at risk of lacking urban vegetation are the same people whose health could be aided by access to it. This finding is not particularly surprising, given that research has proven the link between diseases such as obesity or diabetes, two conditions that benefit from exercise, and socioeconomic status and/or race
Statewide:
From left to right: The Environmental Justice Populations of Worcester, Springfield, and Lowell
Looking at other metropolitan areas in Massachusetts, such as Worcester, Springfield, and Lowell, a link between Environmental Justice Populations and inadequate green space emerges.
In Worcester, the city has identified that the main issue EJ populations face is limited availability of green space, but they acknowledge that the added language barrier many of these individuals face means that the green space that is there is not often utilized, due to an inability to understand what is available.
In Springfield, a large proportion of residents fall into at least one of the Environmental Justice Populations, so there are city wide efforts to improve access in every neighborhood, holistically. As such, their issue is increasing the quality and diversity of green space versus the more common goal of making green space more geographically available for certain areas.
In Lowell, the city found that Environmental Justice Populations consistently struggle with access to green space and recreational areas, especially when individuals fall into several of the criteria.
Boston:
Locally, there is a clear connection between Environmental Justice Populations and green space access, especially in the neighborhoods of Mission Hill, Roxbury, the South End, and the Fenway.
Note: this data has been approximated from written information
None of these neighborhoods have a ratio of green space even close to the citywide average, with the South End having barely any green space at 0.74 acres of protected green space per 1,000 residents. These neighborhoods also have huge Environmental Justice Populations, with almost all of them meeting at least one criteria and areas like Roxbury and the South End having several residents that meet two or three. When there is green space available, often it is not uniformly accessible or multipurpose. In Mission Hill, all of the biggest parks are playgrounds, a statistic that does not accurately reflect its demographics, as the majority of residents are 20-54. In the Fenway, there appears to be more green space than there actually is, as essentially all of it comes from the fens, but the fens are not equally distributed throughout the neighborhood.
What does the distribution of Environmental Justice Populations look like in Boston?
There are several organizations in Boston that are focused on improving environmental equity and open space access, including:
A video to get a more in-depth understanding of these organizations working to combat the issue, and the problem itself:
Featuring drone footage shot by Abdulrahman Gari
Conclusion
All of this information demonstrates a link between people who meet these Environmental Justice criteria and less green space access, but what can be done about it?
Luckily, most cities and government officials are becoming much more aware of the issue, and many areas have made expanding green space a priority. However, the biggest changes that need to be made, creating new parks and updating old ones, take a very long time. In the meantime, small changes like making park information more linguistically accessible can help a few more people gain access.
This is an issue that requires a great deal of coordinated planning, but if done properly can make a huge difference in the lives of the residents.