Local Parks Serve as ‘Multi-Solvers’ for Community Well-Being

Guest Author: Kate DuPont Phillips, Healthy Communities Delaware

As Delaware communities face tighter budgets and growing needs, local leaders must prioritize investments that deliver broad, lasting impact. Parks and green spaces do exactly that. Often overlooked, parks are powerful “multi-solvers” that support many of the Vital Conditions communities need to thrive, from health and housing to social connection and environmental resilience.

Since 2011, Cornerstone West CDC, the Latin American Community Center (LACC), and Be Ready CDC have worked with residents through the West Side Grows Together revitalization effort. In 2020, Healthy Communities Delaware (HCD) began supporting the efforts with community investment, helping to expand affordable housing, revitalize parks, and strengthen neighborhood ties. They’ve revitalized two parks and playgrounds, maintained four community gardens, and hosted 48 farmers markets; turning public spaces into hubs for health, food access, and social connection. They also led an update of the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, shaped by input from more than 500 residents and stakeholders.

Parks are at the heart of community well-being because they do so much with so little. Time spent in nature reduces stress, improves physical health and boosts mental health; laying the foundation for safer neighborhoods with less crime. Parks anchor communities, attract investment, and increase nearby property values. They can revive distressed residential areas through creating new meeting spaces to attract businesses. As lawmakers seek cost-effective ways to build healthier, more resilient communities, they should look to the West Side for inspiration.

Parks and public spaces aren’t extras. They’re essential infrastructure. They solve multiple problems at once and create the foundation for community-led change. In a time of limited resources, investing in parks is one of the smartest moves we can make.