How Parks Can Shape Successful Cities

Armenian Park in Georgetown, Penang. Photo: Think City

There’s now a new powerful medical reason to build more parks in the city as evidence has come to light that parks reduce overall mortality. Beyond health reasons, we take a look at the role of parks in the city, and how it can affect the quality of life for urban citizens.

 

First up, we speak to Dena Levitz, a journalist based in Washington DC, who reported on a the City Parks Forum where nine cities in the US convened to discuss how parks help shape successful cities. Then, we speak to Professor Graham Rook, Emeritus Professor of Medical Microbiology. Division of Infection & Immunity, Faculty of Medical Sciences at University College London, who has been studying how green spaces can benefit our health.

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After we’ve established that parks contribute tremendously to our health, economic development and green infrastructure, we turn the focus closer to home. What’s going on in Kuala Lumpur? Are we paying enough attention to the importance of parks? Ziad Razak, Director at PEMANDU (Performance Mgmt and Delivery Unit, Prime Minister’s Office) shares his thoughts.

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This story was first published under the now-defunct Think City Channel.

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