Essays from West of 98: The Accessibility of Parks
How many parks does a city need, anyway? Isn’t one park enough? Do we actually need more parks if kids just play on their phones all day?
These questions are the types of possible pushback that a community leader might receive from a proposal to expand a community’s parks. These are fair questions that a community leader should be able to answer. If the community leader does not receive good questions about a park proposal, then the leaders should ask similar questions in self-reflection. Wanton government spending may be the purview of Washington and Austin, but local governments should have a purpose and a vision behind their actions.
The discussion about expanding parks should center around the idea of accessibility. When I started this series, I observed that rural communities are often surrounded by miles and miles of green space that are privately-owned and wholly inaccessible to most people in the community. Whether in a city of 3,000 or 3 million, public parks are the only green spaces that are truly open to every member of the community. However, being open to the entire community is only part of the accessibility equation.
I will use Stamford as an example because it is my primary case study for rural issues and because it well illustrates the park accessibility problem. Harmon Park is Stamford’s largest and most centrally located city park. In some respects, this is a good thing. It is located at one of the most important intersections in town (“important” in that it hosts one of the city’s two stoplights). It is located within a few blocks of the middle school and high school. It is near some of the highest population densities in the city.
But if one studies the map and considers who visits a park and how they might get there, some problems arise. That important intersection includes Texas State Highway 6. While Highway 6 is not quite Interstate 35, it is still a state highway with significant automobile and truck traffic. It is the primary thoroughfare between downtown Stamford and a large part of the community. If a child lives in a neighborhood north of the park or too far to the east (which is close to half the town), they must cross that state highway to access the park. Some children must cross the highway twice as it winds its way through town from southeast to northwest.
If you analyze the accessibility of parks in your own community, you might find similar concerns. It is reasonable to assume that some parents would be reluctant to let their children cross a busy state highway on foot to access a park. But nobody walks anymore, right? Can’t the parents just give their children a ride or take them to the park? If parents are working during the summer while the children are home from school, then no, they probably cannot.
A lot of us enjoy “nostalgia,” be it reminiscences on Facebook of days gone by or watching Andy Griffith. A staple of those discussions is how things “used to be”—parents let their children run around the neighborhood unattended, children left to go play and did not return until dark, things like that.
Sure, children have more distractions today. Video games, social media, the internet, and other activities exist in a way that did not exist one generation ago, much less 50 years ago. But what if children choose those options simply because they are the most accessible recreation? What if children really are not much different now than in 1990 or 1970? What if accessibility is a major factor? What if, between working parents, busy highways, and a host of other factors, it is simply harder for children to get to parks today than before?
Given the choice, you might be surprised to learn how many children might choose outdoor recreation when it is accessible to them. Perhaps community leaders should consider more neighborhood parks, not fewer. Young families just might flock to a community as a result.
James Decker is the Mayor of Stamford, Texas and the creator of the West of 98 website and podcast. Contact James and subscribe to these essays at westof98.substack.com and subscribe to West of 98 wherever podcasts are found.