Parenting resource website Fatherly has published a list of the 25 Best U.S. Cities For Kids To Play Outside. More than just a count of the number of playgrounds, the list is based on several factors, including access to parks, a city’s walkability and its weather. Topping the list is Boston, followed by cities including Minneapolis, Denver, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, Sacramento, Baltimore, Chicago, San Diego, Miami and Washington, DC.
Everything from suburban sprawl to the rise of video games and social media to a hyper-competitive educational environment have conspired to put real downward pressure on how much outdoor play kids get, and the result is obvious: The CDC says the percentage of overweight or obese children in this country has doubled in the last 20 years, and there’s plenty of evidence that kids gain more weight during summer break.
Fatherly’s 25 Best U. S. Cities For Kids To Play Outside takes a close look at the state of play and play spaces in America today. The report includes a data-driven ranking taking into account everything from parks access to the rate of violent crime, plus insights from some of the leading thinkers on play science and playgrounds.
Playgrounds in the U.S. are experiencing whatever the opposite of a renaissance is. But they matter – according to a report by the play advocacy group KaBoom!, kids who live in a neighborhood without one are 26% more likely to be obese. The other 74% are just more likely to be bored and irritable.
The number of parks a community has can be misleading, since the more meaningful statistic is the one illustrating how many people can access those parks. An even more meaningful number? .5 – that’s how many miles away a park should be to ensure it’s within a 10-minute walk for young kids and busy parents.
