Lin, B. B., Thompson, S., Mitchell, R. , Astell-Burt, T., De Leeuw, E., Jalaludin, B. and Feng, X. (2023) Policymaker and practitioner perceptions of parks for health and wellbeing: scoping a holistic approach. Sustainability, 15(6), 5251. (doi: 10.3390/su15065251)
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Abstract
Urban parks provide a multitude of health benefits for citizens navigating the challenges of 21st-century living. And while this is well known by both scholars and practitioners, there is less understanding about the differential impacts of park size, type of facilities, community accessibility, and management. This is the central concern of the research reported here, which is a part of a larger project titled ‘Better Parks, Healthier for All?’ funded under the UKRI-NHMRC Built Environment and Prevention Research Scheme 2019. Within this broader context, the current paper discusses the results of a focus group to better understand how different park qualities promote physical and mental health. Using a COVID-safe research approach, we brought key park providers, park policymakers, and green and open space designers from New South Wales, Australia, together to participate in an online focus group in May 2021. The recruitment was based on the domain expertise and practitioner knowledge of the issues at hand. The ensuing discussion canvassed three areas of interest: What is park quality? How is park quality associated with health? How can we assess park quality and its ability to deliver health outcomes? A thematic analysis of the group’s deliberations reveals a very holistic appreciation of park quality. The ability of a park network to provide a range of health outcomes is central to this view, with each park playing a role in delivering different benefits across the network. Our findings indicate that there are many opportunities to enhance the myriad of benefits and multiple ways to gain them. Co-design is essential to ensure that parks best suit the local context and provide relevant benefits to all stakeholders. In this way, local communities can gain ownership and enhanced agency in relation to using and enjoying their parks. We conclude that delivering locally networked parks and associated spaces for community health and wellbeing are essential in the broader context of global environmental sustainability.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | The authors would like to acknowledge funding from the NHMRC-UKRI grant ‘Better Parks, Healthier for all?’ (#GNT1192681). X.F. is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Career Development Fellowship (#1148792). T.A.B. is supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship (FT220100857). R.M. and J.O. are supported by the Medical Research Council (grant number MC_UU_00022/4) and Chief Scientist Office (grant number SPHSU19) at the Places and Health Programme, MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow. |
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Mitchell, Professor Rich and Astell-Burt, Mr Thomas |
| Authors: | Lin, B. B., Thompson, S., Mitchell, R., Astell-Burt, T., De Leeuw, E., Jalaludin, B., and Feng, X. |
| College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > MRC/CSO SPHSU College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing |
| Journal Name: | Sustainability |
| Publisher: | MDPI |
| ISSN: | 2071-1050 |
| ISSN (Online): | 2071-1050 |
| Published Online: | 16 March 2023 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2023 The Authors |
| First Published: | First published in Sustainability 15(6): 5251 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons License |
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