March 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 53

Just being outside isn't necessarily enough. Generally, the
benefits of time spent outdoors are more closely associated
with natural surroundings rather than simply being outside.
While Hunter's study found that participants derived positive
benefits from a variety of settings, from urban green space
to private backyards, the specific outdoor features that are
attributed to a beneficial response in health have yet to be
defined. However, we do know that people respond more
favorably to natural settings than highly urbanized and industrial settings. Components of a natural setting include
multidimensional vegetation (plants of varying heights,
density, color and texture), undulating topography (hills and
rock outcrops), non-linear travel corridors (curved paths and
streets) and water (fountains and ponds). While contemporary design in the urban/industrial setting is of a desirable
palate to many and often includes or mimics natural materials, this more linear and unadorned style does not convey the
same benefits as being within natural surroundings.

Jimmy O'Connor is NRPA's Director of Conservation (joconnor@
nrpa.org).

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Make the Time
We are conditioned to think of time spent outdoors as something that must be qualified, as though taking a walk through
the park may not be enough. Hunter's research shows that
the benefits of being outdoors may be easier to achieve than
previously thought. While this author is not about to suggest spending less time outdoors or diminish the importance
of an association with nature, I hope you will find it as encouraging as I do to understand that spending as little as 10
minutes a few times a week in a natural setting is enough to
start providing the benefits of being outdoors. Connecting to
nature is absolutely necessary for our health and well-being
and this research shows how easily this can be achieved. But,
we need to make the time, for ourselves and others, to be outside - to be in nature. As Richard Louv, author of Last Child
in the Woods, Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
puts it, " Time in nature is not leisure time; it's an essential
investment in our children's health (and also, by the way, in
our own). " To frame the issue another way, Louv also writes,
" Unlike television, nature does not steal time; it amplifies it. "
I encourage you to build connections to nature across
your agency. Look at every program and capital project
as an opportunity to deliver a touch-point with the natural
world. Those of us in parks and recreation have the places
and people to make meaningful bonds with nature that will
benefit individuals today and society tomorrow. All it might
take is 10 minutes.

Parks & Recreation

March 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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