Vibrant parks and athletes help revive communities
Date Published: 08/05/2011
Author: LISC
Neighborhood sporting events can sometimes feel like a Norman Rockwell slice of Americana: dusty Little League slides under the hot summer sun, diving catches in pee wee football, the newest generation of Michael Jordans driving to the hoop on the corner playlot.
But the reality in low-income communities is often quite different. Parks are more likely to be dangerous and deteriorated. Equipment and facilities are lacking. Organized athletic programs often have little foothold, without the financial resources or human capital to push them forward. In many of these communities, neighbors struggle just to keep a roof over their heads. Sports programs feel like a luxury.
It’s no accident that people and places trapped by poverty tend to be sicker than their more affluent neighbors. Lack of health care, lack of healthy food, scarcity of healthy housing, and proximity to high crime are certainly all part of that equation. But so, too, is lack of green space and limited opportunities for physical activity. Continued[+]...
Topic: --Community Development
Type: Topical report