Visitor access, use, and desired improvements in urban parks

Abstract

Urban parks can provide many physical and psychological health benefits, but these may not be shared equitably among visitors. The purpose of this study was to explore park visitor demographics and activities, as well as their in-depth narratives regarding experiences, perceptions of accessibility, and desired improvements in a range of urban park types, using Portland, Oregon as a case study. We used a mixed-methods approach to interview and observe visitors in 15 urban parks of three general park types: recreational-active use, natural-passive use, and multi-use parks. The most common activities were physical recreation, interactions between adults, and adult-child interactions, which all support physical and mental well-being. Ninety-four percent of observed children were engaged in physical recreation and three-fourths were interacting with other children. Our non-metric multidimensional scaling ordinations with joint plots indicated some trends in visitor demographics and activities across park types, but we found no significant differences in the total number of observed visitors, females and males, racial-ethnic groups, or adults and children across park types. Our complementary in-depth, semi-structured interviews with participants revealed specific motivations for park visitation, access concerns, and desired improvements. Visitation was primarily motivated by physical recreation opportunities, accessibility, and children, whereas the main access concerns were park proximity, trails and paths, and maintenance. Feelings of safety were particularly important for female visitors, while a sense of community helped to create a welcoming atmosphere for visitors with underrepresented racial-ethnic backgrounds. Participants across demographics groups discussed preferences for improvements, which focused on enhancing various park amenities and social atmosphere. Only 19 % of participants indicated that no changes were needed in the parks. We provide strategies for urban park planners, governmental agencies, and community groups to continue enhancing urban park experiences and accessibility for diverse visitors.