Because the US is developed as an urbanite-hostile wasteland, devoid of third places[1], where people are kept out of the streets by design, and are goaded into existing only in the following locations:
1. Home
2. Work
3. Car
4. Somewhere you will be spending money - particularly, if it involves connecting with other people
Parks exist, but I can't recall the last time I met anyone at a park. The interactions are usually limited to "Hello" and commenting on the weather as you pass someone on a trail.
There are exceptions, of course. And there are shaded playgrounds too. But there's a reason most people meet their spouses online these days. The Internet has become our third place because our actual places keep us isolated.
NYC is on of the few exceptional American cities, but it, too, is not immune to the blight (so excellently described by N.K. Jemisin in her ode to The City[3] that only New Yorkers will fully appreciate).
I have a different experience in Bellevue, WA. I take my kids to parks multiple times a week. There's natural shade from the tall trees here, and some of the parks without natural shade have artificial shade. The parks here are clean, well-maintained, full of families, and devoid of trash and tents. Most neighborhoods have a park within walking distance, and it can be fun to explore new parks because there is usually ample parking.
You're right though, it's uncommon to meet new people at parks. "Single and ready to mingle" isn't a demographic that goes to these parks. At best you might get the contact info for the parents of kids the same age as yours.
> At best you might get the contact info for the parents of kids the same age as yours.
This is actually one of the better ways to make friends as an adult, especially as a new parent whose time is limited.
Your single friends are unlikely to have a schedule similar to yours - you can't as easily go out for beers after work, and you're almost certainly not staying out 'til 3am with a young child at home without some pre-scheduling.
But at the playground, you have people who have at least one thing in common with you, which means a common topic as an ice-breaker or an on-going conversation. You have people who'll understand your schedule, and your general availability. You have a place where you'll both be coming to regularly enough to either build up a rapport that can turn into friendship, but also a low-stakes environment where you can drift apart if you're incompatible without feeling bad.
As a parent, a playground is arguably the best possible place to make new friends as an adult.
Lets look at Singapore, a well developed and highly planned urban city state with many well utilized parks and green spaces, highly walkable as well as having a world-class public transport network, located on the equator, with 75%+ humidity and a high UV index for most of the day.
The vast majority of playgrounds are entirely unsheltered.
Because the US is developed as an urbanite-hostile wasteland, devoid of third places[1], where people are kept out of the streets by design, and are goaded into existing only in the following locations:
1. Home
2. Work
3. Car
4. Somewhere you will be spending money - particularly, if it involves connecting with other people
Parks exist, but I can't recall the last time I met anyone at a park. The interactions are usually limited to "Hello" and commenting on the weather as you pass someone on a trail.
There are exceptions, of course. And there are shaded playgrounds too. But there's a reason most people meet their spouses online these days. The Internet has become our third place because our actual places keep us isolated.
NYC is on of the few exceptional American cities, but it, too, is not immune to the blight (so excellently described by N.K. Jemisin in her ode to The City[3] that only New Yorkers will fully appreciate).
The playgrounds follow the overall trend.
[1] https://esl.uchicago.edu/2023/11/01/third-places-what-are-th...
[2] https://www.theknot.com/content/online-dating-most-popular-w...
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_City_We_Became