A study comparing green space and walkability scores found that, without effective access to local parks, residents of greener neighborhoods don’t reap the health benefits.

Adding to the growing body of research about the built environment and public health, Thor Christensen describes a new study in American Heart Association News.
The study looked at two metrics assessing green space and walkability in neighborhoods to understand the relationship between them. While previous research indicates that people in neighborhoods with more green space tend to have lower heart disease risk, the new study reveals that this only holds true in neighborhoods that also have high walk scores—in other words, where residents can meaningfully access green spaces.
In fact, “When researchers looked simply at green space, they found cardiovascular diseases and risk factors were actually more common in people living in neighborhoods with a high NatureScore, compared with those living in less green neighborhoods.” Areas with the highest NatureScore and high walk scores showed a 9 percent lower chance of cardiovascular disease risk factors.
This leads to a logical conclusion: “To maximize the benefits of green space, people have to interact with nature,” says Dr. Omar Mohamed Makram. According to Dr. Ray Yeager, “There's a general notion that green space is good for health, but there's really not a lot of evidence to understand the many complexities involved between vastly different forms of green spaces, communities and built environments.”
The study underscores the need to cross-analyze metrics such as walk scores to understand the broader context and the reality behind the measure.
FULL STORY: For green spaces to be most beneficial to health, they need to be walkable

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie