A new look at countryside recreation in the urban fringe

Abstract

Locating recreation provision in the urban fringe has been strongly advocated, but the assumptions on which this policy has been based have received little empirical study. Previous studies are surveyed, including major studies of Greater London and Strathclyde. A review of that research suggests two hypotheses that could be evaluated against locational analysis using the 1977 National Survey of Countryside Recreation (NSCR) data. The idea of recreationists passing through an unsightly fringe to reach attractive deeper countryside is not generally supported. Some 40% of trips are made to destinations within or closely adjacent to urban areas. Virtually all types of people use one or other of the urban fringe resources for different purposes on different occasions. It is the more distant (over 10 km) areas that attract a more distinctive clientele: holiday-makers and the more affluent, better-educated minority. There is no evidence to suggest that the urban fringe makes a particular contribution to meeting...