Urban parks and other public greenspaces provide opportunities for many city dwellers to engage with nature, which may be more limited in urban versus rural areas. Certain social and physical factors, however, can serve as barriers to accessing public greenspace. Examples of “social barriers” include public policy regulations and restrictions on how greenspace is used, mandatory fees, anti-social behavior of other people in public spaces, and programming not reflective of different cultural practices and priorities. Examples of “physical barriers” include inclement weather and climate, distance to greenspace, overcrowding, poor maintenance, and lack of lighting.

Urban park visitors in the global South value multiple park benefits but gender and income inequalities persist

Individual interviews and focus group discussions with adults and children in four different public green spaces in various parts of the city of Hyderabad, India indicated that they used the parks for exercise, socializing, observing nature, and experiencing solitude. Many women cited lack of time and concerns about safety as challenges to visiting parks. Low-income groups cited entry fees as barriers. Restrictions against gathering food and fodder were also identified as a barrier to accessing the provisioning services provided by ecosystems.
Basu & Nagendra, 2021. Perceptions of park visitors on access to urban parks and benefits of green spaces.
Access Study

Safety-related factors serve as both facilitators and constraints to park visits

Adults and youth focus group participants shared ideas about what helped them or what got in the way of being more physically active in parks. Safety emerged as an issue in relation to both facilitators and constraints. Safety-related facilitators included the presence of authority figures, other visitors with similar intentions, secure parking, well-maintained trails, and good lighting. Safety-related issues serving as constraints included violence, disruptive behaviors, lack of maintenance, lack of lighting, and traffic/busy roads.
Groshong et al. 2020. Attitudes about perceived park safety among residents in low-Income and high minority Kansas City, Missouri, neighborhoods.
Access Study

Weather, climate and safety concerns are identified as barriers to outdoor nature-based activities

Evaluations completed by participants in an intervention program addressing children’s declining engagement with nature showed a high level of satisfaction with the program. Related assessments, however, provided clear evidence that significant environmental barriers–such as weather and climate–limited participants’ active outdoor time. The most serious barrier, however, related to concerns about physical safety.
Hackett et al. 2020. Nature Mentors: A program to encourage outdoor activity and nature engagement among urban youth and families.
Access Study

Costs, lack of information about park locations, and concerns about safety serve as barriers to more frequent family park visits

This study analyzed data from 78 families receiving health-related services from an active park prescription program for low-income families. The study investigated how park use might be associated with knowledge, attitudes, and perceived access to parks. Parents/caregivers reporting more frequent visits to parks tended to know park locations, valued visiting parks with their families, and perceived their neighborhoods to be safe for their children. Money was the most commonly cited barrier to visiting parks.
Razani et al. 2020. The association of knowledge, attitudes and access with park use before and after a park-prescription intervention for low-income families in the U.S.
Access Study

Individual and environmental barriers may limit caregivers’ ability to access their urban greenspaces

Participants in a nature prescription program shared their perspectives regarding accessing neighborhood greenspace. Many were deterred from using their local parks due to conditions they described as being unsafe and unmaintained. Other barriers included (1) dislike of the natural environment, (2) lack of access and funds to travel to desirable outdoor spaces, (3) medical concerns (e.g. flair up of chronic conditions), and (4) weather conditions.
Sefcik et al. 2019. Perceptions of nature and access to green space in four urban neighborhoods.
Access Study

Disparities in access to urban greenspace become more of a concern when social distancing needs to be practiced

This study investigated park access experienced by people in England and Wales during the COVID-19 lockdown. Information accessed from the UK’s Office for National Statistics and Ordnance Survey showed that postcodes in urban parts of England and the three most populous cities in Wales with a higher share of flats generally have better accessibility to parks based on distance but that the parks in those areas are more likely to be overcrowded if used by all residents.
Shoari et al. 2020. Accessibility and allocation of public parks and gardens in England and Wales: A COVID-19 social distancing perspective.
Access Study

Understanding urban park uses and evaluating visitor perspectives can help create more accessible, welcoming spaces

On-site observations and park visitor interviews in 15 urban parks in Portland, OR revealed motivations for park visitation, access concerns, and desired improvements. The most common activities were physical recreation, interactions between adults, and adult-child interactions. Visitors generally cared about park proximity, trails and paths, and maintenance. Feelings of safety and community atmosphere influenced visitor perception of park accessibility and their experience while in the park.
Talal & Santelmann, 2021. Visitor access, use, and desired improvements in urban parks. 
Access Study

Structural and cultural barriers hinder the engagement of children and youth with nature outside of school time

A study investigating how children and young people (CYP) from disadvantaged backgrounds access nature-related opportunities outside of school time found multiple barriers limiting their access: (1) cost of activities and transport; (2) lack of relevance due to differing cultures, religions, and age of CYP; (3) not understanding what is valued by youth; (4) lack of awareness of what is available; (5) fear of the unknown; (6) limited nearby greenspace; and (7) safety concerns.
Waite et al. 2021. ‘It’s not for people like (them)’: structural and cultural barriers to children and young people engaging with nature outside schooling.
Access Study

Personal barriers are characteristics that reside within the child and/or the family that limit children’s engagement with nature. These might include, for example, fear of nature, lack of interest or knowledge, over-scheduled time, health-related concerns and sensory challenges.

Parents of children with autism identify benefits and barriers associated with spending time in nature

Information shared by three Australian parents of children with autism indicated that time in nature supports child interests and imagination, is calming for the child, and helps the child cope with change. Barriers to time in nature as noted by the parents include time constraints related to appointments, the child’s sensory challenges, balancing the needs of siblings, and dealing with the exhaustion of daily life.
Galbraith & Lancaster, 2020. Children with autism in wild nature: Exploring Australian parent perceptions using Photovoice.
Access Study

Individual and environmental barriers may limit caregivers’ ability to access their urban greenspaces

Participants in a nature prescription program shared their perspectives regarding accessing neighborhood greenspace. Many were deterred from using their local parks due to conditions they described as being unsafe and unmaintained. Other barriers included (1) dislike of the natural environment, (2) lack of access and funds to travel to desirable outdoor spaces, (3) medical concerns (e.g. flair up of chronic conditions), and (4) weather conditions.
Sefcik et al. 2019. Perceptions of nature and access to green space in four urban neighborhoods.
Access Study

Fewer interactions with nature and more urbanization around schools are linked to more negative attitudes towards the natural world

Among more than 5000 fifth- and sixth-grade Japanese students, children with more frequent experiences with nature had significantly lower levels of dislike, disgust, fear, and perceived danger towards invertebrates. Children whose adult family members had negative attitudes about invertebrates were likely to have negative attitudes as well. Higher levels of urbanization surrounding the students’ schools was linked to increased levels of fear and perceived danger towards invertebrates.
Soga et al. 2020. How can we mitigate against increasing biophobia among children during the extinction of experience?
Access Study

Schools can play an important role in providing increased access to nature for children. Multiple benefits of doing so are well-documented in the literature. Also documented in the literature, however, are various spatial, cultural, and social barriers to children’s active engagement with nature through school-related activities. These include such challenges as lack of teacher skill, confidence or comfort teaching outdoors; lack of resources to support nature-based programming or transport to greenspaces; and curricular pressures.

Promoting student teachers’ nature connectedness may be effective in addressing a lack of confidence and willingness to teach outdoors

Researchers concerned about the lack of teacher confidence in teaching outdoors engaged student teachers in an outdoor education experience at a local Botanic Garden. Assessments completed by the participants before and after the outdoor experience showed a significant increase in the student teachers’ nature relatedness and a robust increase in their perceived competence and willingness to teach outdoors.
Barrable & Lakin, 2020. Nature relatedness in student teachers, perceived competence and willingness to teach outdoors: An empirical study. 
Access Study

Preschool children find ways to use the affordances of an outdoor setting through different seasons and various weather conditions 

This study found that preschool children – when given the choice at their childcare center – regularly played outside in all kinds of weather. Ways in which the children modified and adapted resources and activities according to different weather conditions allowed them to discover a new range of play possibilities. Teacher reluctance to go outdoors in inclement weather could be a barrier limiting children’s outdoor experiences.
Elliott, 2021. Whether the weather be cold, or whether the weather be hot … children’s play preferences outdoors across a year in one private pre-school setting.
Access Study

Case study reveals opportunities and barriers to the implementation of outdoor play programs in Scotland 

In 2016, the Scottish national government enacted a policy that would provide more opportunities for young children to play and learn outdoors. Barriers to implementation of this policy, as identified through this study, include (1) parent and educator attitudes and (2) funding and cost issues. The study results highlight the importance of policies allowing Outdoor Play Programs to function in a variety of ways in terms of location and access, hours of operation, and child attendance (full time, part time, etc.).
Perlman, Howe & Bergeron, 2020. How and why did outdoor play become a central focus of Scottish early learning and care policy.
Access Study

Fewer interactions with nature and more urbanization around schools are linked to more negative attitudes towards the natural world 

Among more than 5000 fifth- and sixth-grade Japanese students, children with more frequent experiences with nature had significantly lower levels of dislike, disgust, fear, and perceived danger towards invertebrates. Children whose adult family members had negative attitudes about invertebrates were likely to have negative attitudes as well. Higher levels of urbanization surrounding the students’ schools was linked to increased levels of fear and perceived danger towards invertebrates.
Soga et al. 2020. How can we mitigate against increasing biophobia among children during the extinction of experience?
Access Study

Schools can mitigate children’s declining contact with nature, but various spatial, cultural, and social factors tend to impede the process 

Interviews with staff members at 20 schools in England, along with online surveys completed by over 200 school personnel, indicated that the most common opportunity for students’ direct contact with nature was through school-based natural environments. While the number of trips to off-site locations varied considerably, most schools took five or fewer trips over the year. Transport costs, pressure to deliver the National Curriculum, and teachers’ lack of engagement with outdoor learning were identified as barriers to more student engagement with nature.
Walker, Bormpoudakis & Tzanopoulos, 2021. Assessing challenges and opportunities for schools’ access to nature in England.
Access Study