WHAT IS A PASSIVE PARK?
A passive park is a term used to describe a public park that does not host specifically programmed activities (such as a baseball field or soccer complex), but rather describes a variety of recreational opportunities offered in a natural setting. Passive parks, unlike sporting complexes, are generally low maintenance and can be used in a variety of ways, including: hiking, fishing, frisbee, scouting, walking, and birdwatching. Our vision is to transform Altadena Valley Park into an adaptable passive park-- one that invites in a spectrum of nature-based recreational activities, community members, and native wildlife.
THE BENEFITS OF
PASSIVE PARKS
Living near a park — anywhere less than half a mile away — boosts property values. Homeowners can see an increased value anywhere between 8% to 20% for their homes with a nearby park. That could give properties tens of thousands of dollars in added value.
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Proximity to parks increases property value and increases revenue from property taxes. Research of property values has shown that a 5% increase in property values for houses within 500 feet of a park is a conservative estimate of the change in property value due to proximity to a park.
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Home-buyers prefer homes close to parks, open space, and greenery. In Boulder, Colorado, a greenbelt added $5.4 million to the total property values of one neighborhood. Other things being equal, there was a $4.20 decrease in the price of residential property for every foot one moved away from the greenbelt, and the average value of homes next to the greenbelt was 32% percent higher than those 3,200 feet away.
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-conservationtools.org
HOW PARKS CAN IMPROVE OUR MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND PHYSICAL WELLBEING
MENTAL
Experiments have found that being exposed to natural environments improves working memory, cognitive flexibility and attentional control, while exposure to urban environments is linked to attention deficits
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-American Psychological Association
Current Directions in Psychological Science, Vol. 28, No. 5, 2019
SOCIAL
Park coverage was also positively associated with community wellbeing, or the sense of engagement individuals have with the place where they live. By providing a unique form of social gathering space in congested cities, parks and other natural settings facilitate social interactions and collaboration and contribute to a sense of community or neighborhood attachment.
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- Public parks and wellbeing in urban areas of the United States
PHYSICAL
Use of green spaces is associated with decreased health complaints, improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reduced stress, improved general health perceptions and a greater ability to face problems.
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THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF PARKS
Green space in urban areas provides substantial ecosystem services. The U.S. Forest Service calculated that over a 50-year lifetime, one tree generates $31,250 worth of oxygen, provides $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycles $37,500 worth of water, and controls $31,250 worth of soil erosion.
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A recent study found local and regional public park agencies’ activities and spending in 2017 generated more than $166 billion in economic activity, boosting national gross domestic product by $87 billion and supporting more than 1.1 million jobs
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