Join a Johns Hopkins Study on Parks and Green Spaces
Join a national research study to learn what helps U.S. local governments make parks and green spaces more equitable, resilient, and responsive to community needs
Key points
Join a national Johns Hopkins study anytime by March 31, 2026 to share your professional insights on how your local government plans and delivers equitable parks and green spaces. You can take part by completing an online survey and/or joining a virtual interview.
This study is open to anyone 18 or older who works with U.S. local governments (city, county, or township) on parks, green spaces, climate, sustainability, or related topics.
When you participate, you’ll receive a gift card ($) for completing the online survey, the virtual interview, or both (you can also choose to donate it). You’ll also get a summary of national findings you can use in your work and authorship credit in published results if you’d like.
What is this study about?
Cities, counties, and townships across the United States are investing in parks and green spaces to improve health, advance equity, and strengthen climate resilience. But what helps local governments make that happen—and what gets in the way?
This study looks upstream, beyond how parks are built, to the policies, land use decisions, and organizational practices that shape equity.
Local governments are central to this work. With control over zoning, funding, and infrastructure, they shape how communities adapt to climate risks and who benefits from those decisions.
We’re exploring both sides of the story:
• Internal readiness — how prepared local governments are to act on parks and green space equity
• External pressures — outside forces like funding, mandates, and politics that influence action
We’re also analyzing park and green space policies nationwide to see how equity shows up in practice and where gaps remain. By sharing your experience, you’ll help identify the conditions, partnerships, and resources that make equitable green space possible.
This research is part of a doctoral dissertation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, led by student researcher Elham Ali, MPH, PMP, under the supervision of Jill Marsteller, PhD, MPP (IRB00034299).
The Johns Hopkins Institutional Review Board has reviewed this study and determined it is “not human subjects research” under DHHS regulations 45 CFR 46.102. That means we’re asking about your professional perspectives of your organization, not private or personal information. Your responses will stay confidential.
When is this study happening?
You can join the study at any time by March 31, 2026 and participate once or in both parts (survey and interview) depending on your interest.
Who can participate?
We’re looking for people who:
Are 18 or older
Work in a U.S. city, county, or township government
Work on parks, green spaces, climate, sustainability, or related topics
We encourage three or more people from each organization to join so we can hear different perspectives but we also know that many environmental and sustainability offices are small. Even if you’re a team of one, we need your voice.
Why should I join?
When you participate, you’ll:
Share what your local government needs to make parks and green space equity possible
Receive a summary of the national findings you can use in your work to benchmark readiness and progress
Receive authorship credit if you’d like
Get a gift card ($) for completing the online survey, the virtual interview, or both. We can send gift cards digitally, by mail, or donate it to a charity of your choice
How can I get involved?
You can participate in one or more ways:
To keep the study secure, the survey and interview links need a password. Enter it if you have one, or request one here using your government email and your department or agency name.
- 📝 Take the online survey (15–20 minutes)
- 💬 Join a Zoom interview (30–45 minutes)
- 🤝 Recommend colleagues who might want to take part by emailing Elham Ali at eali6@jhu.edu.
- 📣 Share this study webpage with your networks
Have questions?
Contact Elham Ali (Student Researcher) at eali6@jhu.edu.
If you have questions about your rights as a participant, contact the Johns Hopkins IRB at 410-955-3193 or bsph.irboffice@jhu.edu.