Pathway to Recovery: Wellbeing and Resilience

This document is a live updated international guide of resources, insights and community perspectives. This document aims to help connect parks agencies, community organizations, individuals, cities, and park conservancies to better navigate a path towards recovery, equity, wellbeing, social justice and resilience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The document outlines key principles and partnerships cities should consider and incorporate as they approach a ‘post-COVID-19 ‘recovery period. A practical guide ‘Path to Recovery Framework’ for the Park and Recreation field is incorporated (as developed by the United States’ National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA)). This document also takes the opportunity to envision ‘Design as critical to Health’ in specific reference to greenspaces, and encourages us to reimagine and incorporate a more ‘health design’ centered framework when designing our cities and engaging in greenspace design. We recognise that there are many unknowns and many challenges of this Black Swan event ranging from positive and negative impacts of climate change, equity, and understanding the relationship between ecosystems of high ecological integrity (i.e., healthy nature/parks) and the reduction in the likelihood of emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases. However, we must take action and look forward to building a brighter and more resilient future for the next generation. We are in the midst of a global environmental and public health crisis, now is the time to realise the synergies between public health, nature conservation and climate change adaptation. If we truly want things to be different, then it is time to make equity, wellbeing, nature conservation, climate change adaptation and health priorities in long term urban policy and planning