The Park... the newest superhero

Introducing the – drum roll please – the Park, the newest superhero. He tackles crime and increases happiness. And he is? The Park!

By Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Parks fight crime with peace and flowers and trees.

We all know that parks are lovely places to visit and make you feel calm and relaxed but now there is actual proof of how great they are and how much they do for us.

A new study in the American Journal of Epidemiology analyzing parks in Philadelphia has proven that not only does turning abandoned parks into beautiful grassy spots make the place look pretty it also reduces crime. Gun crimes, vandalism and criminal mischief all dropped significantly in a study over 10 years in over 4,000 reclaimed spaces.

The well tended parks let people know that someone cares about the places and therefore people are less likely to commit crimes in the area for fear of getting caught. It's easy to see that parks are wonderful places!

Want to spruce up your community and spread some good will? Get involved, where possible, in caring for your parks and open spaces.

The findings are not all that new, really. CABE, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, when it still existed, found the very same in that areas with good and vibrant parks had less crime and more happiness.

And, I am sure, aside from the fact that they knew that open spaces and parks would do wonders for the well-being of people – the very reason publicly-owned parks and open spaces were created under the Public Health Acts by the Victorians – they knew too that parks and open spaces where people could go and enjoy Nature, even if it was somewhat regulated in many early parks, would have many other benefits for society.

It is therefore well outside my comprehension why municipalities always consider scrapping the parks and open spaces and especially their proper management first when it comes to spending cuts.

They do not seem to realize and understand those findings, by so many bodies by now, of the benefits of parks and open spaces and that those benefits then means they don't have to concentrate on tackling other issues.

Having said that, though, it only works if and when people have a sense of ownership of such spaces and that is best achieved by involving everyone in the running and maintenance, under the auspices of the municipality, though that latter point may not always be necessary.

In fact, in some places in the British capital it has been proven that a neighborhood is well capable of managing the parks and open spaces. While the parks and open spaces, in those cases, have remained in public ownership, as the must be, especially if they came about due to the Public Health Acts, the management does not (always) have to be provided by the councils.

When management has to be reduced vandalism and other crime often moves in but this can be reduced and even eliminated by involving the community in their parks and open spaces.

It has been proven in some of the toughest neighborhoods in Britain and, so I understand, in the US, and thus it can and will work in your area.

© 2011