Childs Play: Park Availability Across The City of Phoenix, Arizona

Abstract

In an ideal world, parks would be available to everyone within a half mile of the places where they live. Parks can add a sense of community to an area and are 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 census tract areas of Phoenix within half a mile to a park and those without, to see if any racial or economic bias is involved in the spread of these public funded playgrounds. Data was pulled from the US census and turned into graphs to see where any discrepancies may 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. The same holds true for access to community pools or splashpads, with the majority of these centering in the lower income sections of the city.