Persistent concerns about declining human health, environmental sustainability, and social equity demand innovative solutions. For decades, research has revealed that outdoor recreation, parks and green spaces have the capacity to address these issues by improving health and quality of life, promoting environmental stewardship, and enhancing community well-being. This research, however, is scattered across a wide array of disciplines and publication outlets. Building on contributions from members of the NE 1962 Multistate Research Group, we are working on an edited volume that will synthesize the current state of knowledge regarding broader benefits of parks and recreation and identify opportunities for generating equitable outcomes across diverse communities. Within this larger context, our volume will include specific sections focused on human well-being and preventative health benefits, community vibrancy and resilience, and environmental literacy and stewardship.
Our upcoming edited book includes contributions from researchers and practitioners across a wide range of disciplines to a new edited book (to be published by Sagamore-Venture Publishing) on the “Transformative Power of Parks.” The book will illustrate how parks and recreation can transform the way people live and interact with social and ecological systems. Ultimately, we envision a resource that will help researchers, students, practitioners, and other key stakeholders across multiple disciplines communicate the benefits of parks and recreation to impact policy and planning on a path toward a sustainable future.
Peter Fix, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, pjfix@alaska.edu
Lincoln Larson, North Carolina State University, LRLarson@ncsu.edu
Lincoln Larson, North Carolina State University (Stewardship), LRLarson@ncsu.edu
Kristi Lekies, The Ohio State University (Stewardship), lekies.1@osu.edu
Sohyun Park, University of Connecticut (Health), sohyun.park@uconn.edu
Kathy Scholl, University of Northern Iowa (Health), kathleen.scholl@uni.edu
Taylor Stein, University of Florida (Community), tstein@ufl.edu
Keith Tidball, Cornell University (Community), kgtidball@cornell.edu
Modeled after the NE1962 Multistate Project, the book will highlight the transformative power of parks and outdoor recreation across three main themes (or sections): health and well-being, community vitality and resilience, and environmental literacy and stewardship. Each of these three sections will contain 4-6 chapters that focus on specific contributions of parks (sub-themes) within these larger themes (e.g., physical activity within health). The following is a list of proposed book sections.
Intro – History of Benefits-based Management in Parks
Section 1: Health & Well-being
Section 2: Environmental Literacy & Stewardship
Section 3: Community Resilience & Vitality
Conclusion – Parks: A Wise Investment