Addressing imbalance in park distribution and accessibility in disadvantaged neighborhoods

This thesis will critically study the issue of socio-economic class based inequitable distribution of landscape / recreational resources and the ways in which the principles of environmental justice can be used as a tool by landscape architects in the planning process to amend this. A preliminary study indicates that the zip code of 37915, located in Knox County, Tennessee proves to be a suitable case study. High levels of poverty and a greater percentage of minorities as shown by the U.S. Census, add to the undesirability of this neighborhood. The city has located pocket parks with playgrounds and basketball courts in this neighborhood but they still lack access to large tracts of open space with multiple recreational facilities. Finally, this neighborhood falls short of the recommended 6 acres of close-to-home parks for every 1000 residents. Based on the principles of environmental justice, this thesis critically reviews the underlying causes of this inequitable distribution and aims to address it by using these principles as guiding principles for the planning process involved in locating and designing a park for 37915