Disparities in park access and use among residents impacted by the Flint water crisis

Abstract Parks confer well-documented benefits for human health and well-being. However, access and use remain inequitably distributed across urban populations, particularly in cities affected by environmental injustice. In Flint, Michigan, we collected survey data among 385 residents affected by the city’s 2014 water crisis to examine (i) sociodemographic disparities in objective and perceived park access, and (ii) associations between park access and use, adjusted for individual, park, and neighborhood characteristics. After full adjustment, non-Hispanic Black residents lived farther from nearby parks than non-Hispanic White residents (mean difference = −0.09 km, p = 0.024), and greater objective park distance predicted lower odds of frequent park use (OR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.19–0.72, p = 0.003). Younger age, higher income, active transportation, and more positive perceptions of neighborhood and park quality also corresponded with frequent park use. These findings suggest that park equity depends not only on spatial access but on the social and contextual conditions that make parks reachable, safe, and welcoming. This study, conducted prior to the designation of a new state park along the Flint River, also establishes a baseline for evaluating whether a major urban greening investment expands equitable park access and use in an historically disinvested community.