Getting hotter: Heat stress rises for Dhaka’s poor as green spaces shrink
MD TAHMID ZAMI, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports that as temperatures soar in Bangladesh’s crowded capital, accessing cooler spots like parks is getting harder…
Doctor’s orders: ‘Nature prescriptions’ see rise amid pandemic
CAREY L BIRON, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, writes that with the coronavirus pandemic highlighting the health benefits of spending more time outdoors, a growing faction of the US medical community is prescribing time outside the same way they would traditional medication…
Postcards: Coronavirus reveals ‘green apartheid’ in South African cities
KIM HARRISBERG, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on the findings of a study showing poorer city residents – most of whom are Black – live in areas with fewer parks or green spaces…
Distribution of parks in US neighbourhoods reveals racial disparities
New York,Thomson Reuters Foundation Parks in primarily non-white neighbourhoods are half the size and five times as crowded as parks in mostly white neighbourhoods, putting communities of colour at risk during the summer heat, research showed on Wednesday. In low-income neighbourhoods, parks are four times smaller and four times more crowded on average than parks […]
“Pavement wars” hit cities as COVID-19 distancing pits joggers against dogs
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation A stroll in the park has turned into a battle for space among residents of crowded urban areas, as rules on distancing from others to stop coronavirus spreading kick in. With lockdowns or restrictions on movement imposed in hundreds of cities, tempers are running short in crowded green spaces, with panting, […]
POSTCARDS: IN WAR-RAVAGED KABUL, WOMEN THRONG PARKS FOR PEACE AND PICNICS
RINA CHANDRAN, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports…
ESSAY: HOW BATTLEFIELDS AROUND THE WORLD ARE FINDING NEW PURPOSE AS PARKS AND REFUGES
In an article first published on The Conversation, TODD LOOKINGBILL and PETER SMALLWOOD, of the University of Richmond in the US, look at how former fields of war are being repurposed as places celebrating peacefulness…
Park life boosts morale as much as Christmas, survey shows
Tbilisi, GeorgiaThomson Reuters Foundation Sad city dwellers should seek solace in a local park, according to a survey tracking tweets that showed a leafy walk lifts morale as much as Christmas among Twitter users. Trees in cities are already credited with cooling and cleaning the air, along with absorbing planet-warming gases – but a team […]
Walk in the park – cities fight climate change with greenery
Thomson Reuters Foundation US cities and towns should ensure that every resident lives within 10 minutes’ walk of a park as part of their climate action strategies, an advocacy group for open spaces said. According to The Trust for Public Land, a San Francisco-based non-profit, 100 million US urbanites lack such access. Central Park, New […]