It's well-established that physical activity helps prevent obesity and related medical problems. And there's mounting evidence that providing places for urbanites to exercise (parks, primarily) can improve health.
But the mere presence of a park doesn't guarantee a healthier population. Thousands of acres of city parks are not, for one reason or another, serving the purpose of helping people become healthier. With a growing clamor from doctors, parents, overweight people and even those who just want to strengthen muscles, lungs and hearts, it's time for parks to be more than just pretty places. Individual parks, and entire city park systems, should be designed and programmed to help people be more fit.
The overriding principle for a park system to foster mental and physical well-being is that it must be well-used by the public. But many parks don't make it easy to exercise. Some are too small, some too big and confusing, some too far away, some too frightening, or too unattractive and unimaginative. Some are mainly athletic complexes for special users - baseball, soccer or tennis players as far as the eye can see. Others are primarily natural areas with occasional trails, too boring for many competitive people.
In the starkest terms, most parks simply don't offer enough choices for activity. The more facilities and spaces layered onto a park, the more use it can get from people with different interests and skills. A golf course can serve a couple of hundred people a day; add a running track around it and it can serve thousands. (The one circling Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston hosts 10,000 runners a day and is said to be the most heavily used exercise trail in the country.)
