Childs Play: Park availability across Maricopa County, Arizona
Presentation Time: Tue, 05/02/2023 - 10:00
Keywords: Socio-economic, race, playgrounds, children, Phoenix
In an ideal world, parks would be available to everyone within a half mile of the places where they live. This is especially important for young children under the age of 9, as having places to play and run can greatly improve multiple positive traits in young children. The City of Phoenix has over 250,000 children between the ages of 0 and 9 living within its city limits. This study compares the areas within half a mile to a park and those without, to see whether any racial or economic groups do not have equal access to a public funded playground. A secondary study was narrowed down to parks that feature either a splash pad or pool, since during the summer months in Phoenix, that would be a major benefit. Data was pulled from the US census and turned into graphs to see where the discrepancies lay. About 25% of children within Phoenix live within census tracts that do not have a park within a half mile. The groups that have the least access to parks are Asian and White populations. The data would also suggest a slight bias against those of higher income.
