Public parks and green spaces bring communities together, offering places for recreation, social interaction, and personal well-being. Policymakers and urban planners have a critical responsibility to ensure equitable access to high-quality green spaces for residents of affordable housing. This project evaluates the accessibility of high-quality public parks and green spaces near affordable housing units in Chicago
By integrating housing data and census tract data with spatial and ratings data on Chicago green spaces, we develop an Accessibility Index that quantifies access to high-quality green spaces. This index considers key factors such as park ratings, size, and proximity to affordable housing developments, highlighting disparities in green space accessibility across the city. To make these insights more accessible, we create an interactive dashboard that visualizes the index, allowing users to explore the data and identify areas with limited park access.
This project offers policymakers and urban planners with a data-driven tool to identify areas where access to high-quality green spaces is limited, particularly for residents of affordable housing.