ABSTRACT
Public parks and open spaces are an integral part of modern urban life: from supporting recreational and psychological needs of urban residents to playing a role in youth development, workforce development, community capacity building, and public health (Walker, 2004). The role of urban parks is also significant in light of the increasing incidence of adult and childhood obesity in the United States. 1 Obese children suffer from a host of health problems including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes (Freedman et al., 2007) and childhood obesity is a predictor of adult obesity (Serdula et al., 1993). Obesity is concentrated in minority and disadvantaged communities (Kumanyika & Grier, 2006; Schoenborn et al., 2002), especially African–American and Latino communities (Day, 2006). At the same time different ethno-cultural groups exhibit different motivations and preference for leisure and recreational activities (Floyd, 2001; Floyd et al., 1994). The fact that minority low-income inner city residents live in a built environment characterized by well-connected networks of streets with sidewalks, higher densities, and access to public transportation—all elements that are supposed to promote active living—and yet suffer from high rates of obesity and obesity-related health problems points to our incomplete understanding of how the built environment is linked to active living of minority groups living in urban contexts.
