The Poorer the Neighborhood, the Harder It Is to Reach the Park: A GIS Equity Analysis from Salt Lake City

Inequitable access to parks persists in cities where race, income, and geography shape residents’ proximity to public green space. This study analyzes 20 parks in Salt Lake City—10 in the Eastside and 10 in the Westside—using demographic, housing, and transportation data drawn from GIS tools and spatial platforms. By assessing indicators such as household income, racial composition, rent burden, walkability, and transit access, the findings confirm that Westside parks—located in lower-income and more racially diverse neighborhoods—are significantly less accessible. Eastside parks, by contrast, tend to serve higher-income, majority-white areas with better infrastructure. This paper illustrates how spatial inequality in surrounding conditions limits park accessibility, and it proposes GIS as a tool for diagnosing and addressing environmental injustice in urban planning.