To achieve park equity, people living in communities that have been historically excluded from park-related decision-making must be heard. The materials in this toolkit were designed to support community-based organizations, their members, and others who are building power to secure equitable investments in park infrastructure in disinvested communities.

Park equity—fair and just access to parks, trails, community gardens, and other green spaces—is essential to healthy communities. But park inequities unjustly affect low-income communities across the U.S., especially people living in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods. Through our local-level projects and national initiatives, we are building momentum for park equity.

This theory of change describes the approach of People, Parks, and Power: A National Initiative for Green Space, Health Equity, and Racial Justice.

In Changing the Landscape: People, Parks, and Power, Prevention Institute and Alessandro Rigolon of the University of Utah propose an approach to addressing park and green space inequities that prioritizes building power among people closest to the problem so that they can drive policy and systems change solutions.

This policy brief reviews evidence of park inequities in the Los Angeles region, lays out a framework for achieving park equity, and sets forth policy recommendations.

This research synopsis describes findings from new research linking the availability of parks and life expectancy at the census tract-level in Los Angeles County.