Healthy Parks Healthy People

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Background

Healthy Parks Healthy People is a new initiative which aims to promote the mental and physical benefits of spending time in parks.

Research has shown that visiting a park can reduce stress, boost immunity, enhance productivity, promote healing and foster psychological wellbeing.

The Healthy Parks Healthy People program was developed by Parks Victoria in 2000 to encourage increased visitation to parks and gardens by highlighting their health benefits. The Parks Victoria campaign has now been extended into NSW by the Sydney Parks Group who launched the initiative in October 2003 at Centennial Parklands in Sydney. The Sydney Parks Group is now running its own Healthy Parks Healthy People program in NSW.

Participating organisations include Sydney Parks Group agencies: Botanic Gardens Trust; Centennial Parklands; Department of Environment & Conservation (National Parks & Wildlife); Parramatta Park Trust; Sydney Harbour Federation Trust; Sydney Olympic Park Authority; NSW Department of Planning and the University of Technology, Sydney. Supporting organisations are Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation and the NSW Department of Health.

Sydney Parks Group

The Sydney Parks Group was established in 1998 to provide a strategic integrated approach to urban park research in Sydney.

Sydney Parks Group research indicates that 55% of the population aged 18 and over - or 2.2 million people - visit Sydney urban parks in a typical week, and the number of visits by Sydney residents in a year has been calculated at 250 million.

The most common physical activity in parks is walking, but over 50% of those surveyed also valued parks as a “place to relax” and a place to “appreciate the beauty of nature”.

The benefits of urban parks and gardens are numerous and diverse. Their value lies in the direct contribution to individual enjoyment, health and wellbeing, as well as in their indirect collective contributions to the community, the economy and the environment.

Sydney Parks Group member agencies, under the Healthy Parks Healthy People banner, will promote projects to encourage more people to use parks in a way which will enhance both physical and mental health and wellbeing, and monitor the effects.

For information on the Sydney Parks Group’s past and current research program, please click here.

Promotional Activities

The Sydney Parks Group has published a free pocket guide to activities at its six participating parks and gardens. The booklet was launched by the NSW Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation Sandra Nori in February 2005.

Downlad this booklet here: hphp_mini_mag.pdf (PDF, 1.4Mb)

Future Healthy Parks Healthy People initiatives include a research project exploring the relationship between people’s mental and physical wellbeing and their proximity to parks.

Previous Events
  • Parks Week 2006 was held on 15-22 October 2006. Over 50 events were held across many of the major parks and gardens of Sydney and NSW. For further information, go to www.parksweek.com.au
  • ParkFest was held on Sunday 10 October 2004 at Centennial Parklands, where over 20 key agencies joined forces to host a day that highlighted the physical, mental and social health benefits gained by visiting parks. Organisations such as Asthma NSW, Arthritis NSW and The Osteoporosis Society promoted wellness and healthy activities, while Mental Health NSW celebrated World Mental Health Day and the launch of Mental Health Week in New South Wales. The day also provided an opportunity for the initiative to establish partnerships with peak health bodies. For more information please click here.
  • An approach to the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC) resulted in two major Healthy Parks Healthy People events being incorporated into the Seniors Week ‘05 program of activities from 13-20 March. The initiative will benefit from the state-wide promotional campaign for these activities, and we look forward to this partnership continuing in the future.
  • Art in the Park was held in mid-July 2005. The event was a week-long program of arts-related and cultural activities in Sydney’s urban parks and gardens including exhibitions, postcard workshops, sketching classes, sculpture displays and guided heritage tours.
  • The first-ever Parks Week invited everyone to “connect with our green spaces” and saw thousands of people around NSW participating in a diverse program of events. The week kicked off with an information and activities marquee in Centennial Parklands on Sunday 9 October, as part of the Good Food Month Spring Picnic, where approximately 8,000 people enjoyed gourmet food and had the opportunity to find out about Parks Week events. Other highlights during the week included Centennial Park’s first Pram-a-thon, statewide simultaneous events in ten NSW National Parks and the popular exhibition in the Royal Botanic Gardens recreating the secret grove of the Wollemi Pine.
National Co-ordination Group

A National Co-ordination Group was formed in August 2005 and comprises New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia (Department of Environment & Heritage) and Western Australia (Department of Conservation & Land Management).

It is envisaged that all Healthy Parks Healthy People agencies will work collaboratively on future promotions and events to gain national media coverage and public awareness for the campaign.