(130) Environmental Justice and Park Equity: Restoration, Regional, Rural and Race

Completed in 2022, the Park Needs Assessment Plus (PNA+) is a national model for park equity and planning. Parks, open spaces, recreation facilities, trails and gardens are essential community infrastructure, but not all communities have access to these resources. The PNA+ identifies priority areas for regional and rural recreation - based on population vulnerability factors - along with environmental conservation and restoration, which form the basis of a 30x30 strategy for Los Angeles County. This session with provide an overview of the data collection, analysis, community outreach and engagement, findings and next steps to address park equity while looking at the need to include restoration of degraded lands, such as brownfields, landfills and oil fields, which negatively impact lower income communities of color where vulnerable populations and environmental burdens are concentrated.

Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will understand dimensions of population vulnerability and the power of data to identify need in their own communities.
2. Participants will understand the importance of including restoration in the conservation of parks and open space discussion.
3. Participants will discuss the need for demographic data and analysis in their groups decision-making processes to ensure park equity (going beyond the 10-minute walk metric).