Importance Of Parks Research Articles

Access Pass: Validating The Scale of Barriers to Participation in Recreational Spaces

The importance of parks and recreational spaces in terms of public health has become even more evident after the pandemic period. The increased utilization of these areas by larger populations has imposed different responsibilities on the park and recreational spaces managers. To increase people's participation in parks and recreational spaces, it is important to first identify the barriers that hinder their participation. This study aims to adapt The Scale of Barriers to Participation in Recreational Spaces, developed by Gümüş and Alay, to the United States. In this context the study was conducted in a mid-sized city located in the Midwest in the U.S.A., involving a sample of 412 individuals ranging in age from 18 to 76. The data collection took place over four months, from December 2022 to March 2023. The factor structure obtained in the original scale development study was tested through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) as part of the validity study. During this analysis, it was necessary to remove one item from the security factor as it increased the Chi-square value in the CFA procedure. According to the analysis, it is evident that the goodness-of-fit indices yielded favorable results. Specifically, the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) obtained a value of 0.04, while the Incremental Fit Index (IFI) and Comparative Fit Index (CFI) reached values of 0.94 and 0.98, respectively, signifying excellent goodness of fit. Additionally, the Normed Fit Index (NFI) and Goodness-of-Fit Index (GFI) attained values of 0.94, which fall within acceptable limits. Moreover, the chi-square value of χ2(94)=153.693 and a ratio of χ2/sd=1.63<2 indicated a perfect fit for the model. Correlation analyses between dimensions were conducted as part of the validity study. In the reliability study of the scale, Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was estimated. According to the findings, the factor structure of the scale was confirmed to be parallel to the original scale development study. Furthermore, Cronbach's alpha values ranged between 0.83 and 0.90. With these conducted studies, the scale has provided the necessary validity and reliability evidence for its use in the USA culture and has been introduced to the field to be utilized in various studies. It is expected that this scale can benefit both park and recreational spaces managers and users by identifying barriers to participation in these spaces and increasing engagement. Concurrently with the research outcomes, recommendations were formulated for park and recreation administrators.

Disparities in city-wide park use before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of Atlanta, Georgia

Access to parks is important for a population's mental, physical, and social health. The importance of parks became even more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic when publicly accessible outdoor spaces were needed to relax, exercise, and socialize. Using metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia as a case study, this study employs 207,785 rows of park visitation data to assess the spatial distribution of park users within 109 Atlanta parks for the year before and after the initial COVID-19 shutdown, focusing on the length of time spent in parks, distance of travel to get there, and quantity of visits. These facets are compared to the socio-demographic information of the park users to assess how different populations benefited from greenspace use. Furthermore, we compared site usage to park typologies to understand changes in park use. Results reveal that after the COVID-19 declaration, parks were more likely to be used among local block group populations, and the time spent in parks slightly decreased. Yet, the impact of COVID-19 on park use was less strong for lower income groups. Findings reveal the important role of parks during the pandemic and may guide future efforts to develop these public greenspace facilities.

Park&Ride Car Parks as an Element of Improving the Quality of the Transport System in Wroclaw

The traffic problems of modern cities are mainly caused by increased intensity of car traffic. The key to encouraging city users to use public transport services is to increase the level of quality and accessibility. Park&ride car parks (P+R) are one element of a strategy to increase the quality of public transport systems, in this case the public transport system in Wroclaw. The aim of the study was to indicate the importance of park&ride facilities in building and improving the quality of the public transport system in Wroclaw. The study used the desk research method, the descriptive method and the results of document analysis. The research procedure established that the process of constructing park&ride facilities (which are an element of the public transport system in Wroclaw) is being implemented continuously; at the same time it has a positive impact on reducing the level of car traffic. The current implementation period and the availability of P+R car parks in Wroclaw are insufficient in comparison with the needs of such a large urban centre, which is constantly developing.

Urban Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic in Beijing, China

This study documented the geography of the recovery of human activity in Beijing, China, after the city successfully brought the COVID-19 pandemic under control at the end of spring 2020. By using mobile phone network data at fine spatial and temporal scales, we compared the levels of human activity in the morning, afternoon, and evening on weekdays and weekends at the microlevel (1 km × 1 km) before and after the pandemic. Both our descriptive and modeling analyses showed more recovery on weekdays than on weekends. The recovery was faster in the areas that were further away from the city center. Residence-oriented areas recovered faster than non-residence-oriented areas, particularly in the early stages of recovery. The areas with large-scale parks recovered faster, confirming the importance of parks in urban health. The presence of a university campus was a strong predictor of slow recovery in Beijing. Although people avoided using public transit during the pandemic, the level of transit service did not seem to predict urban recovery after the pandemic was under control.

Keeping young families in the centre: a pathways approach to child-friendly urban design

ABSTRACT This paper outlines the importance of pathway design in creating ‘child-friendly’ cities. There is concern that central parts of major cities have excluded households with children through the process of youthification. The importance of parks in creating child-friendly neighbourhoods is widely accepted, but the quality of the pathways connecting parks to residential areas has received less attention. This study develops a design assessment approach and compares the quality of pathways in youthified and family-oriented neighbourhoods in Portland, Oregon. A stronger focus on informal play opportunities along pathways and a systematic design assessment is recommended to advance child-friendly planning.

Assessing the relative importance of human and spatial pressures on non-native plant establishment in urban forests using citizen science

Since 2007, more people in the world live in urban than in rural areas. The development of urban areas has encroached into natural forest ecosystems, consequently increasing the ecological importance of parks and fragmented forest remnants. However, a major concern is that urban activities have rendered urban forests susceptible to non-native species incursions, making them central entry sites where non-native plant species can establish and spread. We have little understanding of what urban factors contribute to this process. Here we use data collected by citizen scientists to determine the differential impacts of spatial and urban factors on non-native plant introductions in urban forests. Using a model city, we mapped 18 urban forests within city limits, and identified all the native and non-native plants present at those sites. We then determined the relative contribution of spatial and socioeconomic variables on the richness and composition of native and non-native plant communities. We found that socioeconomic factors rather than spatial factors (e.g., urban forest area) were important modulators of overall or non-native species richness. Non-native species richness in urban forest fragments was primarily affected by residential layout, recent construction events, and nearby roads. This demonstrates that the proliferation of non-native species is inherent to urban activities and we propose that future studies replicate our approach in different cities to broaden our understanding of the spatial and social factors that modulate invasive species movement starting in urban areas.

Street-level green spaces support a key urban population of the threatened Hispaniolan parakeet Psittacara chloropterus

While urbanisation remains a major threat to biodiversity, urban areas can sometimes play an important role in protecting threatened species, especially exploited taxa such as parrots. The Hispaniolan Parakeet Psittacara chloropterus has been extirpated across much of Hispaniola, including from most protected areas, yet Santo Domingo (capital city of the Dominican Republic) has recently been found to support the island’s densest remaining population. In 2019, we used repeated transects and point-counts across 60 1 km2 squares of Santo Domingo to examine the distribution of parakeets, identify factors that might drive local presence and abundance, and investigate breeding ecology. Occupancy models indicate that parakeet presence was positively related to tree species richness across the city. N-Mixture models show parakeet encounter rates were correlated positively with species richness of trees and number of discrete ‘green’ patches (> 100 m2) within the survey squares. Hispaniolan Woodpecker Melanerpes striatus, the main tree-cavity-producing species on Hispaniola, occurs throughout the city, but few parakeet nests are known to involve the secondary use of its or other cavities in trees/palms. Most parakeet breeding (perhaps 50–100 pairs) appears to occur at two colonies in old buildings, and possibly only a small proportion of the city’s 1500+ parakeets that occupy a single roost in street trees breed in any year. Our models emphasise the importance of parks and gardens in providing feeding resources for this IUCN Vulnerable species. Hispaniola’s urban centres may be strongholds for populations of parakeets and may even represent sources for birds to recolonise formerly occupied areas on the island.

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.

Multicultural gardeners and park users benefit from and attach diverse values to urban nature spaces

Cities across the world increasingly reflect the ethno-cultural diversity of a globalized society. How people interact with, and experience urban nature varies with the form, structure, and function of the space, but also with peoples’ ethno-cultural identity. In this study, we investigated the values that gardeners and park users of different ethno-cultural identities associate with urban community gardens, parks and trees and the well-being benefits that they derive from them in Melbourne, Australia. We collected data from park users, and gardeners using intercept questionnaires with open-ended questions about motivations to garden and the importance of parks and trees to understand values, and standardized metrics on personal well-being to understand well-being benefits. The results show that gardeners and park users of different ethno-cultural identities than Australian and European, derived from the country of birth, language spoken, and region of origin, associate different motivations, importance, and well-being benefits to these different urban nature spaces. Community gardens provide food and a strong sense of community and security, particularly for gardeners that speak English as a second language. For these ethno-culturally diverse people, urban parks, like community gardens, are associated with sociocultural and psychological importance, but also with aesthetic importance. Finally, and also for these diverse people, urban trees are associated with aesthetic, naturalness and biodiversity importance rather than sociocultural importance. The results highlight that people involved in the planning and design of urban nature spaces should consider the many values associated with and benefits derived from different types of spaces for multicultural cities.

Short-term associations between objective crime, park-use, and park-based physical activity in low-income neighborhoods

Crime and safety perceptions are commonly cited barriers to park use and physical activity (PA). Given the importance of parks as settings for outdoor recreation and physical activity, the presence of crime may have a detrimental effect on public health. This study uses objective police crime reports and observational park use data to assess type of crime and the time when the crime was committed effects on park user behaviors in 20 parks located in low-income neighborhoods in New York City. The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) was used to assess the number of park users and their physical activity during 78 park visits in Spring 2017. The association between crime rates and park use was assessed using two types of crimes (violent and property crimes). The timing of the crime was assessed using the crimes committed within periods of one week, one month, and three months prior to the visit to the park. By including objective measures of crime together with the exact time on which they were committed, we were able to analyze the short and long term effects of crime on park behavior. Overall, there was a consistent negative association between crime and park use. This relationship was stronger at the 1 month and 3 months' period and weaker at the 1-week period. Violent crimes were strongly associated with lower park use, and crimes proved to be associated with child park use to a greater degree. Girls were more affected by crime than boys.

The Values of Parks to the House Residents

The presence of a park in a residential area plays an important role for residents living near the park. The focus of this paper is to examine the significance of a park to house residents. The methods used in this study include interviews with the developer and a survey administered to the residents living near the park. The main findings gathered from the survey reveal that the five most important 'park-related factors' to house residents are (i) good park elements, (ii) conceptual or design of the park, (iii) nearness to the park, (iv) existence of a view to the park, and (v) active area of the park facing the house. Other results also indicate that shade trees, lighting and butterflies are elements preferred to be present in a park. This research provides knowledge on the preferences of house residents and the importance of parks in a neighbourhood. The information from this research is hoped to be useful to policymakers, local authorities, urban planners, developers, corporate bodies, individuals and other related agencies involved in park and residential property development.

개항기 한국인의 공원관 형성

개항(1876년)을 기점으로 우리나라에 존재해 온 공원의 태동기 역사를 규명하고자 한 본 논문은 개항기 한국인의 공원관 형성과 도시 공원의 성립에 관해 고찰하였다. 즉, 서구로부터 도입된 공원 개념을 받아들이는 입장에서 한국인들이 그것을 어떤 태도로, 어떤 시각으로 바라보았으며, 어떠한 방식으로 수용하고자 했는지를 파악해 보고자 했다. 이를 위해 개항 이후 최초로 외국의 근대 문물을 시찰하고 그 내용을 기록으로 남겼던 수신사의 "수신사기록"에서부터 해외 유학생들의 견문 기록 중 가장 대표적인 저작으로 볼 수 있는 유길준의 "서유견문"과 윤치호의 "윤치호일기", 그리고 한국 최초의 자주적 공원인 '독립공원' 조성에 관한 기록을 남기고 있는 "독립신문"을 비롯한 서재필과 독립협회의 몇 가지 기록들을 면밀히 검토했으며, 가능한 한 1차 문헌에서 관련 내용을 발굴하고 해석하는데 중점을 두었다. 그 결과, 개항기 한국의 근대적 개혁을 이끌었던 지식인들 사이 공원 의식이 생겨나고, 그것을 발전시켜 나가는 모습을 파악할 수 있었다. 수신사의 공원 인식에서부터 유길준의 공원의 필요성 인식, 그리고 윤치호의 공원에 대한 문화적 예술적 관심에 이르기까지, 공원관이 확대되고 심화되어 가는 과정이 확인되었다. 특히 서재필과 독립협회가 주도적으로 참여한 독립공원은 사회적 의미와 상징을 담은 공간으로 운동, 휴식, 위생, 계몽을 위한 도시 공원이었으며, 이러한 공원을 비롯한 도시 녹지의 필요성에 관한 내용이 지속적으로 대중들에게 전달되고 있었다. 즉, 일제 강점기가 시작되기 훨씬 이전부터 한국인들에게는 공원에 대한 의식과 견해가 형성되었으며, 단순한 모방과 이식이 아니라 충분한 이해와 사회적 필요성을 바탕으로 공원이 등장한 것으로 볼 수 있다. 한국 공원의 근간을 이루는 태동기 역사를 규명하고자 했던 본 논문은 분명히 존재하고 있었지만, 지금까지 소홀히 다뤄져 왔던 한국 공원의 뿌리를 규명했다는 점에서 그 의의를 지닐 수 있을 것이다. This research explores the Korean perspective on parks and the beginning of urban parks in the port opening period. The purpose of the study is to understand how Koreans viewed and accepted the idea of a park as imported from western culture and with what attitudes. Analyzed sources included: "Susinsa's Record"(修信使記錄) by Susinsa(修信使) who wrote the inspection records of foreign modern cultures for the first time after the port opening, "Seoyukyunmun"(西遊見聞) by Yu Kil-jun(兪吉濬) and "Yun Chi-ho's Diary"(尹致昊日記) by Yun Chi-ho(尹致昊), which are representative works by students sent abroad, as well as some records of Seo Jae-pil(徐載弼) and The Independence Club(獨立協會) such as "The Independent"(獨立新聞), which contains the records of 'IndependencePark'. This research is focused on the literature that reexamins and interprets the related data from primary sources. As a result, it was found that the people who led the modern reformation in the Port Opening period adopted and developed social thinking regarding parks. Indeed, it was possible to witness the gradual sophistication of the concept of a park from the time of Susina's thoughts on parks to that of Yu Kil-jun's support for the need and importance of parks and Yun Chi-ho's cultural and artistic interest in parks. Also, Seo Jae-pil and the Independence Club drove the development of Independence Park, which was designed to incorporate social values and symbols while also serving to meet the needs of recreation, leisure, hygiene, and enlightenment. The Independence Club consistently advocated for the necessity of open spaces and delivered this message to the public via article writing. In short, even prior to the Japanese colonial period, Koreans shared thoughts and exchanged opinions on parks. Parks were to be created not just as a copy or transplant of western parks, but were constructed based on social demands and necessity. As few studies have taken the approach of identifying this origin of Korean parks, thus, this research which traces back the origin of Korean parks, is significant.

Planning and management of parks and green areas

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss how to plan and provide for people's relaxation and engagement, cognitive and aesthetic needs. Symbolic of this is the green city image, which is obtained through planning and management of parks and green areas.Design/methodology/approachThe approach here is to note that Bangalore has gained all‐round importance as an administrative, trading and industrial center and a location for premier educational institutions along with large IT and BT industries. Also, it is a center of strategic importance, due to a concentration of defense establishments. The study observes the abundance of parks and avenue trees and green areas along with green median and traffic islands all through in the city, which provide shade and meet the purely ecological and aesthetic needs.FindingsThe study reveals the beneficial impact of green areas on the microclimate of the city, which also serve as outdoor recreation areas to the city people. The parks and green areas need serious rejuvenation as centers of social activity and they should cater to peoples' active and passive recreation needs and abate the stress of urban living.Practical implicationsThe implication of this study is the manifest importance of different local government authorities, institutional arrangements, NGOs with expertise to maintain parks and green areas in and around the Bangalore Metropolitan Area and of growing more trees and developing greeneries within the city of Bangalore.Originality/valueThis paper's value is to promote awareness regarding the complexities and importance of parks and green areas and their vulnerabilities and management.

PLURALISM IN PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY ON KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK IN INDIA

ABSTRACT This study addresses various dimensions of behaviour in the management of a protected area—Keoladeo National Park (KNP), Rajasthan, India, with special reference to attitudes and perceptions of stakeholders, hardships' ranking of village people and threats to park management as perceived by park staff. The results reveal the existence of a sustained conflict in the KNP at the people- KNP interface. While stakeholders still hold differing views on various critical issues like grazing, bird populations, the management system of KNP and Joint Protected Area Management (JPAM), the ecological importance of park is recognised and unquestioned by all the stakeholders. A strong need for pluralistic understanding of the current situation had been identified. Action to foster such an understanding needs to be initiated by the Forest Department, Non governmental Organisations (NGOs) and behavioural scientists working together to develop active communication channels and trust building mechanisms, and providing training in socio-behavioural skills' for forest personnel and village people. Only then can peaceful co-existence of people and the KNP be expected.