Recent NRPA Survey Health Benefits
of Parks

NRPA June Park Pulse Survey Results

 
by Keziah Olsen, LASN

A recent NRPA survey shows that most U.S. adults are recommended to move their bodies as part of their physical and mental wellbeing, with public parks like Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois (pictured here) a natural outlet. (Photo Credit: Michelle_Pitzel on Pixabay)

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A recent NRPA survey shows that most U.S. adults are recommended to move their bodies as part of their physical and mental wellbeing, with public parks like Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois (pictured here) a natural outlet. (Photo Credit: Michelle_Pitzel on Pixabay)

According to the recent Park Pulse Survey conducted by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), one-third of U.S. adults were recommended by a healthcare provider to spent time in nature or outdoor spaces as part of improving overall health. This recommendation is a natural extension of the third-most common suggestion: moving your body daily.

Parks, plazas, and active transportation routes as well as public state institutions or private university campuses that are open to the public present a multitude of possibilities for improving personal health but are only as effective as they are designed to be.

Landscape Architects have long supplied outlets for this universal human need and can increasingly partner with medical and psychological experts to optimize public spaces for mental and physical health.

To see the results of the NRPA's study, go to: https://www.nrpa.org/publications-research/park-pulse/doctor-recommended/