Access to Parks and Open Space

The Access to Parks and Open Space indicator measures the proportion of a neighborhood made up of park space. This indicator does not take in to account park amenities such as playgrounds. Lakes are not considered park space. Information used to calculate this indicator is from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and Minneapolis GIS office. More information about parks in Minneapolis is available at Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board Maps. Access to nature through safe, clean parks and open space can improve public health in many ways including increased exercise and physical activity, and decreased fatigue and increased productiveness. Increased time outdoors can decrease attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Trees and green space in parks also help mitigate negative climate issues by lowering air temperature, improving air quality by removing pollutants, and absorbing and cleaning water run off from impervious surfaces. Access to Parks and Open Space is in the Natual Areas domain.

Neighborhoodsort ascending Indicator Value Rank
Windom Park 19.6% 11
Windom 0.3% 83
Willard - Hay 12.2% 24
Whittier 4.4% 50
West Calhoun 5.5% 44
Wenonah 14.5% 18
Webber - Camden 5.9% 42
Waite Park 4.8% 47
Victory 6.8% 36
Ventura Village 3.4% 56
University of Minnesota 22.7% 6
Tangletown 8.4% 32
Sumner - Glenwood (Heritage Park) 3.2% 60
Steven's Square - Loring Heights 2.2% 66
Standish 1.5% 71
St. Anthony West 11.6% 25
St. Anthony East 4.4% 50
Shingle Creek 14.7% 17
Sheridan 0.7% 81
Seward 7.7% 34
Regina 0.0% 84
Prospect Park - East River Road 8.2% 33
Powderhorn Park 13.9% 20
Phillips West 0.0% 84
Page 21.1% 10
Northrop 6.4% 38
Northeast Park 12.9% 22
North Loop 3.3% 57
Nicollet Island - East Bank 18.0% 13
Near - North 3.0% 62
Morris Park 1.1% 75
Minnehaha 6.1% 40
Midtown Phillips 2.7% 65
Mid - City Industrial 0.0% 84
McKinley 0.8% 78
Marshall Terrace 3.0% 62
Marcy Holmes 2.8% 64
Lynnhurst 11.6% 25
Lyndale 1.0% 77
Lowry Hill East 0.7% 81
Lowry Hill 16.2% 16
Loring Park 9.1% 29
Longfellow 1.2% 72
Logan Park 5.1% 45
Linden Hills 10.7% 27
Lind - Bohanon 8.8% 30
King Field 3.5% 55
Kenwood 34.2% 2
Kenny 2.2% 66
Keewaydin 23.9% 5
Jordan 1.2% 72
Humboldt Industrial Area 3.1% 61
Howe 13.0% 21
Holland 0.8% 78
Hiawatha 21.3% 8
Hawthorne 4.7% 48
Harrison 14.0% 19
Hale 16.5% 15
Fulton 6.3% 39
Folwell 7.5% 35
Field 4.6% 49
Ericsson 41.7% 1
Elliot Park 3.3% 57
East Phillips 3.3% 57
East Isles 9.8% 28
East Harriet 16.6% 14
East Calhoun (ECCO) 6.0% 41
Downtown West 1.8% 69
Downtown East 4.9% 46
Diamond Lake 8.7% 31
Corcoran 1.1% 75
Cooper 12.8% 23
Como 1.2% 72
Columbia Park 21.2% 9
Cleveland 2.0% 68
Central 0.8% 78
Cedar Riverside 24.7% 4
Cedar - Isles - Dean 18.6% 12
Camden Industrial 22.6% 7
Calhoun Area Residents Action Group (CARAG) 1.6% 70
Bryn - Mawr 29.3% 3
Bryant 4.1% 53
Bottineau 6.8% 36
Beltrami 5.6% 43
Bancroft 0.0% 84
Audubon Park 4.4% 50
Armatage 3.9% 54

Key Citations: 1. Bowler DE, Buyung-Ali LM, Knight TM, Pullin AS. (2010) A systematic review of evidence for the added benefits to health of exposure to natural environments. BMC Public Health. 2010 Aug 4;10:456. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20684754.

2. Grant RH, Heisler GM, Gao W. (2002) Estimation of pedestrian level UV exposure under trees. Photochem Photobiol. 2002 Apr; 75(4):369-76. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12003126.

3. Kuo FE, Taylor AF. (2004) A potential natural treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: evidence from a national study. Am J Public Health. 2004 Sep ;94(9):1580-6. Available at: http://www.niu.edu/~carter/courses/526/articles/Kuo_and_Taylor.pdf.

4. TPL (2013). Economic and Health Benefits. Trust for Public Land. Accessed April 2013. Available at: Effects of Parks on Health: http://www.tpl.org/research/parks/economic-health-benefits.html.