Latinos Perceptions’ of Urban Natural spaces: The Case of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Keywords: Parks, Wellbeing, Environment, Hispanics, Inequity
Abstract Type: Virtual Paper Abstract

Abstract

Charlotte is the most populated urban area in North Carolina, and its Hispanic population has increased significantly from 44,871 in 2000 to 151,849 in 2020 according to the U.S. Census. Simultaneously, Charlotte is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. and is also gaining status as an immigrant gateway city. Simultaneously, the Trust for Public Land ranked Charlotte’s parks system in the 96th place in the nation among 100 cities. The lack of access to parks intensifies inequities often documented for park access and natural spaces for marginalized groups. At the same time, accessibility to urban natural spaces, such as parks, provides substantial health and social benefits, including improving sense of wellbeing. As such, capturing the perception of the relationship between health and wellbeing, accessibility, and use of urban natural spaces among Hispanic communities is fundamentally important.
This research explores how Latinos interpret and value natural spaces in Charlotte to explain how these factors influence perceptions of wellbeing. We conducted a survey from September-November 2022, to capture the complex interaction of what Latinos value in terms of natural spaces in parks and how their perception connects with wellbeing.