park bench

  1. How Adding Park Benches, Plants And A Few Amenities To A Vacant Lot Increases Home Values

    How Adding Park Benches, Plants And A Few Amenities To A Vacant Lot Increases Home Values

    A park bench at a pocket park located at The Episcopal School in Dallas. (Photo by staff photographer)

    There's a movement going on in urban and suburban areas to bring parks closer to residents, improve unsightly abandoned lots and help people socialize.

    They are called "Pocket Parks."

    The concept is a simple one and so is the process to build one.

    All it takes is some dedicated citizens, assistance from the local parks and recreation department, donors and some elbow grease.

    But the rewards can be plentiful.

    Pocket parks are small, but benefits are huge

    To get people fired up about the idea, let's start with the benefits of pocket parks:

    Transforms a vacant lot, perhaps an eyesore, into a beautiful, relaxing place to gather. Improves
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  2. How The First Tweet Was Sent From A Park

    How The First Tweet Was Sent From A Park

    Golden Gate Park (center) in San Francisco, where the first "tweet" was sent. (Photo by Hispalois)

    Few people know this, but for all the time techies spend indoors in cubicles, the first test Tweet was actually sent from a park.

    That's the story told by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey.

    In 2000, the young coder lived in San Francisco and had developed a program that let him repost an email to as many people as he wanted.

    To try it out, he went for a walk in the famous Golden Gate Park. The park actually covers more than 1000 acres. But what's unusual about the terrain is that the land originally consisted of sand dunes.

    There are other weird facts about the park.

    For example, bison live there. That's correct, right in the middle of the city. The buffalo graze in a meadow to represent the original herds that

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  3. Survey Reveals The Activities People Prefer To Do When Visiting Parks

    Survey Reveals The Activities People Prefer To Do When Visiting Parks

    Here are the results of a recent survey on what people like to do at parks besides just sitting on a park bench

    Why do people visit parks?

    According to a recent survey by the National Recreation and Parks Association, there are several and they vary in scope by quite a bit.

    In other words, there's more to parks than just sitting on a park bench.

    For example, when posed this question: "What are the Key Reasons you go to parks?" here are some answers.

    62% - said to be with family and friends

    52% - to be physically active and exercise

    50% - to be close to nature

    36% - to experience adventure and excitement

    16% - to learn a skill or craft

    8% - to have someone take care of children (programs for kids)

    As you can see, hanging out with family and friends is the top activity for park visitors. This certainly points

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  4. How "Forest Bathing" In A Park Lifts Your Spirits And Lowers Stress

    How "Forest Bathing" In A Park Lifts Your Spirits And Lowers Stress

    The benefits of "Forest Bathing" on a park bench

    Want to boost your mood? Lower your blood pressure? Relax? Reenergize?

    Take a "Forest Bath" in your local park or wooded area.

    Forest bathing is a practice that began in Japan in the 1980s and is catching on worldwide.

    During that time in Japan, health practitioners began to notice the toll that the increased industrialization of the country was having on workers. Those long hours created more stress, irritability and health issues.

    Americans would be smart to pay attention to this practice as well. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average US resident spends 93% of their time indoors.

    To find a simple and inexpensive remedy for this ailment, the experts in Japan suggested citizens get out of the house and into the woods.

    In essence, immerse themselves in

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  5. Study Shows Just Sitting On A Park Bench In A Green Space Will Elevate Your Happiness

    Study Shows Just Sitting On A Park Bench In A Green Space Will Elevate Your Happiness

     

    Study reinforces the research that spending time in a park, even if you just sit on a park bench, puts you in a better mood

    Visiting a local park and just relaxing on a park bench will make you happier, even if all you do is sit.

    That's the findings of a new park study conducted by the University of Alabama Department of Occupational Therapy.

    Researchers collected data from 98 visitors to three parks in Mountain Brook, Alabama - the Overton, Jemison and Cahaba River Walk Parks.

    The researchers reported that

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