The pandemic highlighted the importance of parks and public spaces for maintaining both the physical and mental health of urban residents.

Update November 20, 2023: The source article was incorrectly attributed to Scot Lehigh. the author of the article is Aaron Greiner.
Writing in The Boston Globe, Aaron Greiner argues that “Public spaces, which served as a lifeline for people during the pandemic, can be more thoughtfully designed to better foster human connection and combat loneliness.”
As Greiner points out, “A growing body of research, including a 2021 study that found that frequent visits to green spaces decreased people’s use of depression medication, points to the many ways a dose of public space can improve people’s well-being.” For Greiner, this means planners and city leaders must consciously build places that foster wellbeing and “invite people to stop, stay, and connect.” Greiner calls places that do this successfully—“make people feel welcome, represented, and connected to their neighborhoods, and this, in turn, builds social connections between visitors”—‘sticky.’
Greiner adds that “Social infrastructure, like physical infrastructure, requires upkeep, investment, and adaptation”—and should be similarly prioritized by cities long after the pandemic.
FULL STORY: Urban planners should prioritize community spaces to help combat loneliness

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City of Kissimmee - Development Services
City of Kissimmee - Development Services
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Park City Municipal Corporation
National Capital Planning Commission
City of Santa Fe, New Mexico
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