Texas Children in Nature Summit and Champions Awards Luncheon

Local parks and trails provide enormous community health benefits. Their use has been shown to lower stress, blood pressure, and the risk of chronic health issues. In addition to providing opportunities for physical activity, parks strengthen communities by creating social spaces and connecting people to nature. Parks also create healthier environments, combating urban heat islands and improving air quality. Despite this connection, there is a frequent lack of collaboration between experts in the public health field and local park planners, and parks and recreation staff seldom pursue health-focused grants to fund local park development. Travis, Bastrop, and Caldwell Counties have some of the highest levels of health disparities in Central Texas. As part of their mission to address the health and equity challenges facing the region, St. David’s Foundation has decided to support local park development and improvements. In order to prioritize the park projects that will have the greatest impact on community health, the foundation funded the Healthy Parks Plan for Travis, Bastrop, and Caldwell Counties. Led by The Trust for Public Land, Asakura Robinson, and TBG Partners, the project will utilize GIS analysis and community and stakeholder input to identify the park investments that will maximize community health and equity. Local experts and stakeholders from the fields of park planning, health, environmental science, and equity have formed a multi-disciplinary Steering Committee and Technical Advisory Team that guide the project's process and results.  Project outcomes will include health-focused design standards for various park typologies, conceptual park designs, a summary report, and an interactive online story map. The Healthy Parks Plan will also develop a web-based decision-support tool that combines park and health data with community perspectives to help local partners identify opportunities for community investment