City Recreation Research Articles

Mapping cultural ecosystem services of the urban riverscapes: the case of the Vistula River in Warsaw, Poland

Urban green and blue spaces play a key role in strengthening human-nature bonds as they offer a variety of opportunities to directly contact nature. They are robust providers of cultural ecosystem services (CES), non-material benefits arising from the interaction between people and nature. Recreation in green and blue spaces beneficially contributes to the well-being of urban dwellers in multiple ways, and the character of these contributions depends both on spaces’ features and visitors’ characteristics. The flow of CES related to the recreational use of urban parks and forests have been widely studied; however, much less attention has been paid to urban riverscapes. This study aimed to fill this gap by assessing benefits associated with the recreational use of urban rivers, and determining drivers that affect these experiences. Using the case of Vistula River in Warsaw, Poland, a citywide PPGIS survey was conducted to map several types of recreation-related benefits. Binomial logistic regression models were built to explain positive contributions to well-being as a function of attributes of visitors, spatiotemporal preferences of visits, and preferred activities. Survey participants highly assessed urban riverscape benefits, with the general tendency of highest scores to be clustered in the city core. Benefits vary in terms of drivers they are affected, with three main insights: (1) intellectual and emotional attachment to the riverscape is built through the long-term process of repetitive visits; (2) the devotion to nature is based on direct experiences, and strongly associated with sports; (3) on-water recreation underpins both emotional attachment to the river and social interactions. The results bring spatially explicit information on people’s attitudes towards the urban river, and underscore the complexity of links between people and the riverscape. The knowledge on spatiotemporal patterns and drivers affecting riverscape-related benefits may support the sustainable planning and management of nature-based recreation in cities.

Impact of the city recreation and sports environment on health of its residents

Impact of the city recreation and sports environment on health of its residents

The impact of air pollution on behavior changes and outdoor recreation in Chinese cities

The impact of air pollution on behavior changes and outdoor recreation in Chinese cities

The Meritocracy Trap and Kinesiology

Meritocracy continues to dominate conventional thinking in the postmodern West. Yet, recently, an increasing number of critics have highlighted how meritocracy has gone wrong. One such critic is Daniel Markovits, author of The Meritocracy Trap. In this article, we highlight the major themes of Markovits’s book, identify how the ideology of meritocracy has infiltrated kinesiology and sport, and then propose how to reconceptualize and redirect kinesiology toward a more humane and morally sound discipline, which can avoid the pitfalls of the meritocracy trap. Most notably, we propose that kinesiology should (a) recognize the frailty and temporality of humans, (b) embrace the wide middle of human skill performance capabilities, (c) value mid-level jobs and occupations such as physical education teaching and YMCA and/or city recreation department positions, and (d) redefine what counts as success.

Access to urban green spaces in Hannover: An exploration considering age groups, recreational nature qualities and potential demand

City dwellers' accessibility of urban green spaces (UGS) has recently gained immense interest in research and policy. Related scientific studies thus far have focused primarily on spatial distances, largely missing considerations of UGS qualities. We analysed the entire UGS setting of Hannover considering the recreational nature quality and potential demands to identify age-appropriate green spaces by applying a geographic information system analysis of several data sets. Additionally, we assessed the accessibility of UGS for different age groups, varying recreational nature qualities, and potential demands. Results indicate that children and elderly people have poor access to UGS that offers age-related requirements to enable unrestricted nature-based recreation. Nature quality and age-related requirements play a significant role in the assessment of UGS for recreation and accessibility. We conclude that detected vulnerabilities regarding age-related recreation in cities are anchors to mainstream the issue and enhance future planning practices and research.

Of other waterfront spaces: mixed methods to discern heterotopias

In recent years waterfronts have progressively become the focus of local administrations, consultancy agencies, and private developers concerned with public health, city branding, and real estate development. Subsequently, they turned into central stages in which cities and societies can be represented, contested, and inverted. However, many questions remain unanswered concerning their capability to function as counter-spaces in the fast-changing dynamics of citizens’ encounters and recreation in global cities. This paper employs mixed methods to examine the context-dependent association between space and behaviours. The comparative analysis of four waterfront parks in Venice, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and New York sheds light on heterotopic sites’ production and use. Two models emerged: transient spaces of compensation and time-accumulating spaces of illusion. Beyond the novel research design, the significance of this study lies in validating Foucauldian-Lefebvrian heterotopology as an authoritative analytical paradigm for a critical interpretation of the urban.

Leading importance of architectural conservation areas for the establishment of a modern system of interactive recreation in historical cities

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the fact that an architectural conservation area, as a rule, is part of the central territory of the city, which is subject to a special regime of protection of historical and cultural heritage and the status of the land of historical and cultural designation. Nowadays, in the structure of historical cities, there are a number of architectural conservation areas of both national and local significance, for which a special role is played by the unity and complexity of measures to preserve the historical planning structure and architectural substance. Preserving and increasing the historical and cultural values of the nature reserves environment is crucial for creating attractive interactive recreation areas. At the same time, it is of particular importance to determine the trends of interactive recreation in the conservation areas in the entire historical process to further develop the recreational opportunities of public urban spaces. The purpose of the study is to determine the attractions and recreational capacity, richness and diversity of elements of architectural and urban heritage in the territories of the conservation areas, which together constitute the potential for optimal development of the interactive recreation system.

THE CATCHMENT BASIN CRITERION FOR THE ORGANIZATION
 OF THE NATURAL FRAME OF THE SUBURBAN TERRITORY (ON THE EXAMPLE OF MINSK)

The catchment basin differentiation of the suburban territory of Minsk has been performed. The catchments of reservoirs used for the city's water supply and recreation of urban dwellers have been identified as a priority for water protection measures.
 The landscape-ecological conditions of the identified basins, which determine the specificity of pollution of the rivers on which the reservoirs are built, have been evaluated. The differences in the economic development of the basins are revealed. The predominant importance of agriculture as a source of water pollution has been established. An assessment of the chemical pollution of reservoir waters with biogenic substances and their ranking according to its intensity was carried out, according to which they are combined into three groups, including reservoirs with periodic pollution (frequency of exceeding the MPC – 10–30 %), reservoirs with non-accidental pollution (30–50 %) and reservoirs with stable pollution (50 %). Comparison of the intensity of pollution of reservoirs with the forest cover of their drainage basins is carried out. It showed no relationship between them. On this basis, the need was identified for the widespread
 adoption of additional measures to form the natural frameworks of the basins, including those with high forest cover.

Providing a safer passage: Perceptions about a neighborhood intervention program for disadvantaged youth.

"Safe Passage" is an after-school intervention program for disadvantaged youth in a medium-sized city in southern California. Led by local law enforcement, as well as the city's recreation and park department, the program's goal is to combine community policing with after-school care and tutoring to support children living in a large apartment complex with the highest rates of gang membership and crime in the city. This is an exploratory study that examines the perspectives of various stakeholders in the intervention program, including the community members, the local police, and Safe Passage staff members. Survey data from the community residents, program staff and law enforcement were collected. Findings indicate that there was some consensus across the various subpopulations on the challenges that have had the largest negative influence on youth in the community. The local police and the community members surveyed were also in agreement that police/community relations were largely positive. All stakeholders surveyed felt generally positive about the intervention program, but the community members were more skeptical of the program's ability to deter their children from trouble. Implications of our findings for the program and for future studies are discussed.

Redesain Taman Rekreasi Kota Malang Berbasis Taman Bermain Anak

A city park is an open space in an urban area that functions as a balance between nature and greenery andhuman activities, such as recreation or a place to rest from daily activities. This condition requires a gardendesign that provides comfort, so it needs vegetation and other facilities supporting street furniture. Openspace in public facilities is called public open space and includes green open space (RTH). The function ofRTH is to improve the quality of life of urban communities, encourage the creation of public space activitiesfor the community, add aesthetic value to urban areas, create a comfortable atmosphere for pedestrians,and so on. The focus of the study in this research is on the City Recreation Park (tarekot), which is located inthe center of Malang city, not far from Tugu square. The condition of the park, in general, has not undergonemuch development, so there has been no increase in the number of visitors. The problem is the pattern ofless functional space for visitors (especially children), the lack of a level of security because this park islocated beside a river, there is no division of games based on age. A garden will be safe and comfortable forthe broader community if facilities are provided for children to play in the playground. This research limits theprovision of facilities for children. The research method used is a design method with a thinking approachfrom Gold (1980), Hakim (2012), and Setyabudi (2016). The results of this study are the results of a proposedredesign with the concept of a children’s playground.
 Keywords: City Park, Green Open Space, Suitable for Children, Redesign

Socio-Ecological Conditions for Restoration of the Kharkiv City Recreation Zone

Purpose. Investigate the socio-ecological conditions of existence of the recreational zone - Karpivsky Garden in the Novobavarsky district of Kharkiv for its further restoration and improvement. Меthods. Field, atomic absorption spectrophotometry, mathematical and analytical methods of information processing, conditional interrogation method. Results. Field research consisted of sampling of drinking water from an underground source in the garden, sampling of soil and vegetation. The study of drinking water from an underground source on the territory of Karpivsky Garden was carried out by chemical composition, quality indicators, organoleptic indicators. It is determined that the quality of drinking water meets the requirements of DSanPiN 2.2.4-171-10. The highest indicators in soil and leaf samples were determined in cities with a large amount of transport. Background concentrations of excesses are also not observed. A sociological survey of the residents of the district, who are visitors to the garden, was conducted in order to identify their desire to restore and equip the Karpivsky Garden. The questionnaire consisted of 12 questions. In restoration and improvement of the Karpivsky Garden. The variant of the organization of functional total, 20 people were interviewed. The survey showed the interest of the population of the district in the zones of a garden is offered Conclusions. Karpivsky Garden, which is located in the Novobavarsky district of Kharkiv, currently has all the environmental and social prerequisites for the restoration and further use of it for recreation of residents of the district in case of landscaping - installation of garden equipment and reconstruction of drinking water source.

Stained Glass and the Victorian Town: Rochdale Library, Museum, and Art Gallery

Between 1850 and 1920 Britain saw an explosion in the use of decorative glazing in all types of public buildings. The enormous impact and significance of decorative glass produced for the palaces of commerce, civic pride, and recreation in cities and towns throughout Britain, with its connotations of opulence and luxury, has so far been largely overlooked. Rochdale, part of Greater Manchester, was a booming industrial town in the nineteenth century due to its cotton industry and became home to much impressive architecture, such as the Rochdale Library, Museum, and Art Gallery (collectively, now Touchstones), originally opened as a public library in 1884. The library contained a wealth of stained glass, now removed, which comprised imagery of significant local and national figures including a window dedicated to women authors. The art gallery and museum still contains glass by the important Manchester firm run by W. J. Pearce, which can be found on the staircase and by the entrance. The combination of mouth-blown and machine-made glasses used in the schemes reveals new ways of thinking about glass in architecture of the period and the role of stained glass as a relevant contemporary art form.<br>

Does geo-located social media reflect the visit frequency of urban parks? A city-wide analysis using the count and content of photographs

Given the importance of parks and green spaces for outdoor recreation in cities, numerous studies have attempted to describe patterns of usage and understand their determining factors. Recently, social media has emerged as a potentially valuable tool to examine people’s use of parks. This study examines park use in Singapore based on the count and visual content of photographs geo-located within parks. Measures of park use—the number of photo-user-days (PUD)—derived from 325,173 and 94,890 photographs on the respective platforms Instagram and Flickr were compared with results from household surveys (n = 2000). We analysed the spatial attributes of parks and their relationships with PUD at an aggregated-level, and for content categories on the Flickr platform produced by automated classification: birds, wildlife, plants, flowers, recreation, water/skyscapes. In contrast to studies of large national parks, we found that PUD at city parks reflected residents’ preferences better than their frequency of visits to parks, and that park size had a limited effect on PUD. Some relationships were specific to a particular platform; Instagram users were more likely to upload photographs at parks that were closer to the coast and with more canopy cover, while Flickr users tended to do so at parks with an event space and that had lower-density housing nearby. We conclude that social media can provide reasonable assessments of park popularity, but future studies need to consider scale-effects, the integration of data sources for better accuracy, as well as a diversity of goals beyond park use.

KAJIAN EVALUASI PERILAKU WISATAWAN PADA PERMUKIMAN KAMPUNG BIRU AREMA (KBA) DENGAN PENDEKATAN LANSKAP BERKELANJUTAN UNTUK KESEHATAN LINGKUNGAN

Riverbank settlements tend to have slum environments found in urban areas. Many factors such as land use change, increasing demand, population growth urges the use of urban space as residential land. Currently in the city of Malang; as a research location; has many settlements on the banks of the river, such as along the Brantas river, namely in Betek, around Tarekot (city recreation park) and Jodipan. Many efforts from the government to change the values and perceptions of the community to have a positive connotation, with thematic village programs. This relationship is reciprocity and formed the concept of tourist villages, such as the Kampung Warna Warni and the Kampung Biru Arema (KBA). This village has an identity which has the blue nuance as an icon of the Arema football club. This village successfully built the economy of the local population but also left a negative footprint on the environment. For example, visitor behavior that does not dispose of trash in its place or a mismatch of planning applications to visitor behavior. Its influence certainly has an impact on the environmental health of the KBA community itself. This study aims to determine the pattern of visitor behavior towards KBA locations and environmental conservation efforts. The study was conducted qualitatively with the behavior mapping method and time budget, and associated with the concept of sustainable landscapes for environmental health. The results of this study are recommendations for the use of environmentally responsive open space in accordance with the behavior of visitors to tourist attractions.

Less is more! Rapid increase in plant species richness after reduced mowing in urban grasslands

Urban lawns provide space for recreation in cities, and they are an important part of urban green infrastructures. However, most lawns are intensively managed. As only few plant species can survive frequent mowing, urban lawns typically harbor only a limited number of plant species. To improve the biodiversity of urban lawns, it is often suggested to reduce the mowing frequency. Here, we studied the plant diversity of urban grasslands that have recently undergone management changes from mowing every few weeks to mowing only once or twice per season and compared them to intensively managed lawns. Within six years after the management changes, the grasslands with reduced mowing frequency hosted 30% more plant species than intensively managed lawns, and they were more heterogeneous both within and between grasslands. Additionally, the species composition of less frequently mown grasslands shifted from common mowing-tolerant lawn species to typical meadow species. Our study thus shows that the reduction of mowing is a simple and effective tool for increasing the biodiversity in urban grasslands.

“We Are Aiming for Quality and Good Music”: The Hebrew Orphan Asylum Harmonica band (NYC) and Music Education, 1924–1930

Once referred to as “the most maligned musical instrument on earth,” the harmonica holds an important historical place in music education as an instrument around which bands were formed, solo and ensemble competitions were held, and in some cases, careers were born. Much of this activity centered itself on city recreation programs as well as public schools. The instrument’s size, low price, and relative ease of sound production were appealing for these organizations. The boys and girls that lived and studied at the Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York City were engaged participants in these contests as well as performing in radio broadcasts of harmonica band playing. This paper examines the history of this ensemble as a representative of the incredible activity in this underresearched area of music education.

Cities in the experience economy: the rise and the future of urban leisure formats

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the rise and the future of urban leisure format (ULF), i.e. local seasonal short-lived and repeatable small-scale place-time-based staging urban leisure experiences which become the focus of recreation and tourism development in many cities. It aims to analyse the structure of the ULF by identifying its main features and also to propose the future developments of the concept. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on the experience economy principles. It develops the models for structured experiences/experienscape by adding the analogy with television programme formats to propose the general logic of constructing, organising and packetizing urban leisure experiences that are multiplied effectively to other urban time-spaces. Findings The ULF’s future potential lies in its ability to adopt local components, i.e. people and urban resources, to global trends using a structured experiences/experience logic which makes the ULF formattable, i.e. with the capacity to get informally standardised, then repeated and adapted to other cities’ contexts. Research limitations/implications The paper provides a conceptual framework for formatting the leisure events and places under the framework of the structured experience, will be carefully adapted to the micro-local level, i.e. community activities sphere. The ULF is a theoretical concept and needs empirical research to verify its validity. Practical implications The ULF provides urban managers with a framework for replicating, multiplying and adapting urban leisure events and sites within the structured experiences (SE) designing framework. Originality/value The study contributes to the scientific discussion on the experience economy by introducing the ULF concept which can be adapted to various urban conditions.

Assessing Nature-Based Recreation to Support Urban Green Infrastructure Planning in Trento (Italy)

Nature-based recreation is among the most relevant ecosystem services supplied by urban green infrastructure, affecting citizens’ physical and mental wellbeing. Providing adequate green spaces for nature-based recreation is among the main goals of urban planning, but commonly-used indicators offer a partial view on the issue. Innovative methods and approaches, such as the ESTIMAP-recreation model, appear as promising ways to increase the quality of information available for decision-makers by considering both the range of green spaces that provide the service and the locally-specific demand. The article presents an application of the ESTIMAP-recreation model to the city of Trento (Italy), aimed at testing its adaptation to the local context and the potential improvements brought to urban planning. The comparison of the results with traditional indicators based on the availability and accessibility to urban parks shows significant differences in terms of priority of intervention across the city, with implications on planning decisions. The application demonstrates that innovative methods can enhance the understanding of nature-based recreation in cities beyond the focus on urban parks, revealing a wide portfolio of actions that planners can put in place to promote nature-based recreation through a multifunctional green infrastructure.

Pemanfaatan Taman Kota Lumintang Sebagai Aktifitas Leisure And Recreation Bagi Remaja Kota Denpasar

The youth are known to have various activities in their daily lives.a lot of them needed the time to clear their mind from the stress. Many teenagers visit the Lumintang City Park during their spare time to recharge and reinvigorate their energy with various recreational activities.The main purpose of conducting this study is to ascertain the utilization of Lumintang City Park and the significance of recreation obtained by the youth following their recreational activities at Lumintang City Park. Data were collected through observation and questionnaire, and to determine sample using the quota sample to the tune of 50 respondents.&#x0D; The result of the conducted study had shown that Lumintang City Park is utilized by the youth as a place to exercise, lounge around, enjoy the evening atmosphere, cure boredom, and many other activities, with a relatively dominating advantage specifically in the utilization of Lumintang City Park as a place to exercise. Moreover, the significance of the recreation obtained by the youth in the wake of their activities at Lumintang City Park is dominated by recreation and well-being. &#x0D; Keywords: : city park, leisure and recreation, youth

“We just want to play”: Adolescents Speak about Their Access to Public Parks

The discussion of play typically focuses on the activities of and benefits for young children while the perspectives and positive implications of play for adolescents are overlooked. During the participatory action research project, Youth Voices for Change, young people noted that, other than when they were participating in a team activity, they felt unwelcome in their neighborhood parks. Their attempts to use the swing set were denounced by parents and sitting around talking with friends drew suspicion from neighbors. The teenagers also lamented their ability to “just be a kid.” This paper discusses these views and what the youth did to impact change in local park design and citywide recreation policies. A public policy brief, in the form of a comic book, was developed and shared with city officials. This activism led to the youth being invited to participate in a park redesign and the city's recreation master plan update.