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Family Development <br />Parks often serve as places for families and friends to enjoy <br />public spaces in each other's company (Bradley, 2013). <br />Playgrounds may serve as a meeting place for young <br />families, and as a family develops, they are able to use other <br />park amenities, such as sports fields, trails, and open spaces. <br />Families that recreate together tend to be closer and more <br />cohesive, and have a greater chance of staying together <br />(California State Parks, 2005). A very important aspect of <br />parks and recreation programs as that children and families <br />can create lasting memories in these spaces. By providing <br />the opportunity to create those special memories, recreation <br />agencies create a positive relationship between people and <br />parks and often encourage future participation. <br />Nature Nearby <br />"Nature deprivation;" a lack of time in the natural world, <br />largely due to hours spent in front of TV or computer screens, <br />has been associated, unsurprisingly, with depression. More <br />unexpected are studies by Weinstei n and others that associate <br />screen time with loss of empathy and lack of altruism. And <br />the risks are even higher than depression and isolation. In a <br />2011 study published in the Journal of the American College <br />of Cardiology, time in front of a screen was associated with <br />a higher risk of death, and that was independent of physical <br />activity (UMN Source) <br />The stress of an unpleasant environment can cause you to feel <br />anxious, or sad, or helpless. This in turn elevates your blood <br />pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension and suppresses <br />your immune system. A pleasing environment reverses that. <br />Research reveals that environments can increase or reduce <br />our stress, which in turn impacts our bodies. What you are <br />seeing, hearing, experiencing at any moment is changing <br />not only your mood, but how your nervous, endocrine, and <br />immune systems are working. <br />Those who live in "greener" areas, with more vegetation <br />around, have reduced risk of mortality. This is due to <br />previously mentioned factors of improved mental health, <br />enhanced social engagement and increased physical activity <br />that come with proximity to green spaces. Those with most <br />vegetation within 800 feet of their homes had a 12% lower <br />rate of mortality from non -accidental causes than those <br />living in the lease green spaces. (https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/ <br />wp-content/uploads/advpu b/2016/4/eh p.1510363.acco. <br />pdf) <br />3 ' ' CITY OF RAMSEY PARK SYSTEM PLAN <br />