Investigating Socioeconomic Disparities in Park Access Across Two Southeastern US Cities Using a Unique Park Metric: An Ecological Analysis

PurposeThis study aimed to demonstrate how ParkIndex values can be used to examine issues related to composite park access, and to investigate whether ParkIndex scores for block groups were significantly different by income, race/ethnicity, and population density.DesignCross-sectional, environmental justice analysis of spatial disparities.SettingGreenville County, South Carolina, and Raleigh, North Carolina.SubjectsPark access and quality data were collected for a total of 507 block groups across the study setting.MeasuresFor all study block groups, we empirically derived a multi-dimensional park access metric called ParkIndex representing the probability of park use based on three park availability and quality indicators. Block group median household income, race/ethnicity, and population density were obtained from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.AnalysisChoropleth maps were used to juxtapose ParkIndex values and neighborhood sociodemographic attributes. Analysis of variance was conducted to examine differences in ParkIndex values by multiple sociodemographic variables.ResultsNo significant differences in ParkIndex values were found by median household income (F = 0.15,<i>P</i> = .86), percent non-Hispanic White race/ethnicity (F = 0.22,<i>P</i> = .80), or population density (F = 0.70,<i>P</i> = .50).ConclusionThe current study contributes to the fast-growing body of literature examining whether access to quality parks is equitably distributed in diverse locations. Future research can investigate the utility and generalizability of this composite metric to identify and mitigate potential environmental injustices and health disparities.