Language

English (en)

Prize Year

2024

Document Type

Unrestricted

Abstract

Access to greenspace is crucial for both physical and mental health, yet communities of color and low-income neighborhoods throughout the United States are deprived of the benefits that nature provides, a phenomenon known as the “nature gap.” This paper investigates differences in greenspace quality on each side of St. Louis’ “Delmar Divide,” a street that splits the city into the predominantly Black, low-income ‘North City’ and the predominantly white, high-income ‘South City.’ Legacies of historical segregation policies along Delmar Boulevard and throughout the rest of the city have resulted in significant disparities in park quality that contribute to health inequalities such as major discrepancies in life expectancy. Using Google Maps Street View as an analysis tool, this paper demonstrates how parks in predominantly Black neighborhoods lack the restorative characteristics such as high vegetation levels that are found in abundance in parks situated in predominantly white neighborhoods. While the city government claims equitable park access, this paper argues that the metrics utilized to measure park accessibility fail to capture the reality of greenspace inequality in St. Louis by only addressing proximity to parks, not the actual quality of these parks. Organizations such as the Great Rivers Greenway aim to address these disparities, offering hope for a more equitable distribution of greenspaces in St. Louis.

Comments

Dean James E. McLeod Freshman Writing Prize, 2024

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