Parks can serve as critical infrastructure to strengthen public health and safety By Cheri Ruane, Julia Africa, Chuck Raymond, Gary Hilderbrand and Chris Reed I f the past two years have taught us anything, it is that our parks and open spaces are essential to our health and well-being as a society. Not unlike the laurels due essential workers, the role of parks during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic should be celebrated, protected and ultimately leveraged to support public health. We must continue to evolve our thinking to include parks in public health strategy during the ongoing pandemic and in future times of crisis, rigorously maintain their ecologies for when these crises abate, and adapt planning and programming efforts to better accommodate urban populations - especially those that have been historically underserved. PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | MARCH 2 0 22 | Parks & Recreation 35