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Parks played an important role for people seeking respite from the toll of social isolation during the pandemic, and according to new research from Drexel University, they did so without increasing the spread of COVID-19. The study looked at how people used 22 parks in Philadelphia and New York during the height of the pandemic and it found no strong correlation between park use and the number of confirmed cases in surrounding neighborhoods.
Published in the
Journal of Extreme Events, Drexel s study Urban Park Usage During the COVID-19 Pandemic surveyed park visitors over a three-month period from May to July 2020 at small and mid-size parks in New York and Philadelphia. And it compared park usage numbers to rates of COVID-19 transmission in the areas directly surrounding the parks.
Parks played an important role for people seeking respite from the toll of social isolation during the pandemic, and they did so without increasing the spread o
This is the latest development in Drexel s commitment to sustainability which was one of the goals of the university s Climate Year plan. The plan made combating climate change a central part of Drexel s institutional practices, curriculum, research and civic engagement.
Now that it s a part of the UC3, Drexel will be able to share resources, relationships and strategies with other member schools to help tackle the climate crisis.
The COVID-19 lockdown caused greenhouse gas emissions to decline in 2020, but they are already back to pre-pandemic levels. The United Nations called 2021 a crucial year in fighting climate change.
The UC3 is an alliance of more than 20 research universities working to build climate solutions and community resilience. It s administrator Second Nature runs the Climate Leadership Network, which hundreds of American colleges are a part of, including Drexel.