Are you fortunate enough to live in a city that offers a large urban park? Urban parks can be profoundly enriching for every aspect of a community’s health and appeal. They provide opportunities for play, socialization, and exercise to people of all ages. Urban parks also bolster property values, help reduce crime, protect water quality, purify the air, filter rain, preserve local flora and fauna, attract tourists for economical benefit, appeal to businesses and professionals who are relocating, and so much more. Kids also benefit physically, emotionally, socially, cognitively, and academically through outdoor play. Trees in urban parks over 7 million tons of toxins from the air annually, which is equivalent to a value of $3.8 billion to cities. For every 1% increase of total green space, there is a 1.2% decrease in violent crime and a 1.3% decrease in property crime. It truly is impressive how much city parks can enhance a community. This infographic explores the 25 largest urban parks in the world. The largest urban park in the world is Chugach State Park in Anchorage, Alaska, which spans nearly half a million acres. It offers 280 miles of trails and plentiful recreation activities. It is also the most wildlife-rich habitat near a major city in the world, with 45 species of mammals including over 1,000 moose! The second largest urban park in the world is Gatineau Park in Gatineau, Canada at 89,205 acres. This park boasts 103 miles of trails and 56 miles for mountain bikes. It is a beloved location for cyclists with many challenging routes. The third largest urban park is Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa. Here, you can climb mountains, picnic in forests, share the beach with penguins, and see a gorgeous lighthouse. In fact, Table Mountain is considered one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature, which was determined by hundreds of millions of votes from all over the world.
