The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) released The Economic Benefits of Parks: Health Care Cost Savings of Equitable Park Access, an online tool that provides professionals with information about the economic benefits of inequitable park access and their health outcomes.

 

This tool will help estimate health benefits monetarily if a municipality works to offer each community member a park space.

"This tool will help park and recreation professionals and their communities calculate the health economic value if everyone in their community had equitable access to the benefits of parks," said Kellie May, NRPA chief partnerships officer. "This valuable information will help communities make the case for greater, equitable and more sustainable park and recreation funding."

The tool, which was formed by two resources produced by Urban Institute researchers and funded by NRPA, has data from more than 11,000 communities across the United States.