August 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 63

measuring the Difference
a Park makes
nRPA launches second Parks Build Community study

By Maureen hannan

arKs BuIlD CoMMunIty. few would argue with this statement-and most
people have stories to tell of parks improving, connecting, and strengthening
their own communities. yet, how does one measure the impact of one park in
one neighborhood? and what contribution does a playground make?

What Marvin Gaye Park Revealed
a key part of the parks Build Community initiative-a series of replicable urban " demonstration park " projects-is the
commitment to researching and reporting on the impact of each park nrpa helps
rebuild. With the revitalization of marvin
Gaye park in Washington, d.C., university
researchers were commissioned to look
for empirical evidence showing the transformative value of the park-especially in
relation to the health of individuals in that
pocket of northeast d.C. dr. Gary Kreps of
George mason university created a program to observe the playground at marvin
Gaye park before and after refurbishment.
and, after completion of the study, Kreps's
findings on marvin Gaye park included the
following:
■■ ■eighty-five

percent of the activities going on in the park took place within the
playground area

■■ ■most

frequently used playground apparatus by both males and females was
the swing set.

■■ ■average

amount of time spent in the
playground area of the park was about
25 minutes-a substantial portion of the
uS. department of Health recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity
per day for youth between the ages of 6
and 17.

Studying Selena Butler Park:
The Opportunities and Challenges
now, with the second parks Build Community project underway at Selena Butler
park in atlanta, researchers face a slightly different set of challenges. Because the
park has been closed to the public for three
years, a " before " observational study is not
possible. therefore, the approaches will involve post-renovation observational data
collection, mailed and online surveys measuring changes in attitude and perceptions
of the park, and focus group interviews.
dr. Stephanie West, associate professor at appalachian State university, and
dr. Kindal Shores, associate professor at
east Carolina university, are, in partnership with nrpa, undertaking the study.
West and Shores have chosen to donate
their time, because, as West puts it, " this
is a unique opportunity for us as researchers to make a real difference to people, not
to [other] researchers, but to residents in
their communities. " She refers to a decal
given to her by her friend Jane adams,
director of the California park and recreation Society: " parks make life better. "
" if the data support what we believe to
be true, that parks make a positive contribution to individuals, communities, and
society, this project can provide evidencebased research to help park and recreation
professionals and elected officials fight for

west

Shores

scarce resources to be able to build and
maintain quality parks, " West says.
nrpa Chief of Knowledge and learning tara fitzpatrick-navarro, who framed
the request for proposals and commissioned the research, says the study West
and Shores are undertaking will address
all the objectives outlined in nrpa's project description:
■■ ■Studying the impact of the park on the
health of both children and adults (especially the senior adults in the nearby senior housing community);
■■ ■determining the number, frequency, and
timing of public use of the park, and the
amount of physical activity generated
by the playground and other active use
areas in the park
■■ ■assessing the impact of the park revitalization on perceptions of neighborhood
safety.
fitzpatrick-navarro stresses the importance of taking such issues as crime (and
resulting public perceptions of park safety)
into account for a sound, comprehensive
study of the rebuilt park's impact. " many
researchers out there are concerned

www.NRPA .ORG

AUGUST 2011

Parks & Recreation

August 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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