Recreation
Appalachian Trail, Beekman, New York
Our county is fortunate to have more than 200 public parks, ranging from rail trails to ball fields to playgrounds, but access to them is not equal. In this section, we consider barriers to parks related to walkability, bikeability, and bus service.
Our Barriers to Basic Needs Map shows the parks included in this analysis; see our Methodology document (.pdf) for more detailed information.
How walkable are the areas around our parks?
About a third of our population lives within a half-mile of a park entrance, but not all the roads accessing these parks have sidewalks. Over half of our parks have sidewalks within a half-mile of the entrance, but in many cases, they’re only fragments. Only a quarter of parks have at least 20 percent sidewalk coverage, which in our analysis reflects decent walkability. Unsurprisingly, these parks are mostly in our cities and villages.
How many of our parks have access to a rail trail?
Our rail trails are parks themselves, but they can also provide safe access for people biking and walking to get to playgrounds and other recreation sites. 55 parks (26 percent) are within a half-mile of a rail trail.
Most of these parks are in Poughkeepsie, Millerton, Amenia, East Fishkill, and Pawling (the Appalachian Trail). Many of them are easily accessible from the trail, but a few – notably the Hopewell Recreation Park and Red Wing Park in East Fishkill – need improvements to make a bicycle connection feasible.
The proposed Beacon-Hopewell Rail Trail would create direct walking and biking access to several parks and provide potential connections to additional parks in Beacon, Fishkill, and East Fishkill.
How many parks have bus access?
Nearly half our park entrances are within a half-mile of at least one bus route that runs Monday through Saturday. Many of these parks are in the cities of Beacon and Poughkeepsie and the Village of Wappingers Falls. On Sundays, about 20 percent of our parks have bus access (mostly in Beacon), though Sunday bus service is less frequent.
How many parks have train access?
Nearly 15 percent of our parks are with a half-mile of a train station. Most of these parks are near stations on the Hudson Line, particularly Poughkeepsie (near 13 parks), New Hamburg (5 parks), and Beacon (4 parks).
Our Role
Our analysis finds that limited sidewalks, bicycle infrastructure, and bus service pose barriers to park access, especially outside of Poughkeepsie. Based on this analysis, our role could include the following:
- Support sidewalk improvements to parks by municipalities and other road owners.
- Improve links between rail trails and other park sites by connecting rail trails to existing parks and constructing new parks near rail trails.
- Encourage transit connections to parks. Consider access to parks, as well as other basic needs, when evaluating service changes.
- Consider park access when evaluating priorities for federal, State, and County funding.
THE BENEFITS OF GREEN SPACE
The positive impacts of green space have been well studied. Results show that having access to parks and other green space improves mental and physical health, social connections, and the environment. Benefits include:
- Lower stress, blood pressure, and anxiety. Taking a walk in the park has been found to lower stress hormones by 15%.
- Physical activity, which improves heart health and reduces the risk of diabetes and high cholesterol.
- Community gathering and connections, which contributes to social well-being and cohesion.
- Shade, improved air quality, and reduced stormwater runoff. On average, green spaces can be 5 to 8 degrees cooler than areas without trees.
URBAN OPEN SPACE ACCESS
Advocates like the 10-Minute Walk Project are encouraging cities to ensure that every resident has safe and easy access to a park or public open space. In Dutchess, over 85% of City of Poughkeepsie residents live within a half-mile of a public park, as do about 65% of Beacon residents (although this would increase with the proposed Beacon-Hopewell Rail Trail). Other residents may have access to a school playground or other outdoor space, but these are not always open to the public.