California Parks assessment stresses the need for more and diverse parks addressing the urbanization of the state.

A recent Op Ed piece in the San Jose Bee pointed out the results of a two year study that emphasized the need for California State Parks to be more inclusive.  In addition, the authors indicated new parks were needed to serve diverse populations and the urbanization of the state.  …

California is changing and changing fast. And if our parks don’t change too, their long-term viability will be at risk. We are a younger, diverse and more urban state. Close to a third of Californians are 15 to 35 years old. African Americans, Latinos and Asians are an overwhelming majority of the population, but a fraction of park visitors. By 2050, more than 75 percent of the state will live in cities.

Los Angeles provides a telling example of the challenges our cities face in creating an inclusive and accessible urban park system. Large swaths of the city are park poor. African Americans and Latinos in the state’s most populous urban region lack adequate access to parks.

It’s simple. We cannot expect our park system to inspire the support of California in the coming decades if we don’t lower the barriers so that all Californians can enjoy our parks. We must also bring new parks to people by finding imaginative ways to create open space in our cities where the majority of Californians live.

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THIS IS NOT EXCLUSIVELY A CALIFORNIA ISSUE… and it is one of the reasons that the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund must be reauthorized and refocused on the needs for providing opportunities for outdoor recreation for our emerging and more urban populations.  A restoration of equity to the distribution of these funds for state and local purposes could not be more timely and needed.  DKE …