By Living Room Realty, June 28, 2019
Ever wonder what makes Portland great? What explains both why residents stay living in the city and why people from around the country and world move here to call it home? A few weeks ago, Scientific Reports published research led by the University of Exeter that found people who spend at least 120 minutes in nature a week are significantly more likely to report good health and higher psychological well being than those who don’t visit nature at all. The unique aspect of the research was the finding that spending less than 120 minutes did not lead to any of the benefits. Therefore, people would be best served if there were a plethora of natural areas they could explore both actively and passively throughout the week. Luckily, if green spaces are what you are looking for then Portland is the place for you.
Our City of Roses is home to 279 parks and natural areas that cover more than 10,000 acres of city space. This easily puts Portland in the Top 5 of cities across the United States for places to explore natural beauty. It all began in 1903 with a plan and a landscape architecture firm owned by John and Fred Olmstead. The Olmstead Plan included growth designs for the young city of Portland that featured neighborhood and regional parks, scenic boulevards, and pedestrian pathways bordered by native flora. Because of these design plans from more than 100 years ago, Portland today has more opportunities for its citizens to get that 120 minutes of greenery exposure that researchers say leads to happier and healthier lives.
The majority (5,100 acres) of green space to explore is located in Forest Park. With 70 miles of recreational trails and spots of old growth trees throughout, Forest Park is the country’s largest urban forest. On the other side of that coin, Mill Ends Park, located in downtown, is famously the World’s Smallest Park. With a total area of only 452 square inches, the park is unlikely to help you decompress from city life. However, the nearby Waterfront Park along the Willamette River is exactly the type of green space that can help you rack up those 120 minutes. Perhaps soon our smartwatches and fitbits will not only be encouraging us to step more and elevate our heart rate but to find time in the natural beauty that surrounds us here in one of the best cities on Earth.
