August 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 64

There is still time
to become a part of this
national demonstration
park initiative

primarily with public health issues, " she
says. " Dr. West and Dr. Shores understood
that the crime and safety aspects of this
project matter a lot, since the health benefits will only be available if residents feel
it's safe to walk to and use the park. "

The Measure of a Park...
and a Playground
Quantifying the impact of a park on health,
fitness, local economy, and crime is a complex and inexact science. The methods
and instruments West and Shores decided upon in cooperation with NRPA aim
to capture and measure impact through
a mix of on-site observation, random surveying of residents, and focus group interviewing in summer 2011 and again in
summer 2012. The observations of the rebuilt Selena Butler Park will involve a protocol known as System for Observing Play
and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC).
SOPARC focuses on collecting data on the
number, frequency, and timing of public
use of parks and the amount of physical
activity generated by the features in parks.
Playgrounds-especially those with
swing sets-tend to be the main hubs of
physical activity in urban neighborhood
parks-and the new playground (donated
by PlayCore, Inc.) will be a full-featured one
including a swing set area. One unusual feature of the rebuilt Butler Park, however, will
be the state-of-the-art outdoor strength
training equipment dotting the fitness trail

(donated by Superior International Industries). So, especially given the number of
senior residents in the apartment buildings
flanking the park, researchers may have
opportunities to measure how features besides playgrounds impact the health and
fitness of park users. (See sidebar below.)
In addition to observations, a survey
about health, physical activity behaviors,
and community perceptions will be distributed to about 1,600 households near Butler Park. The initial survey will be mailed
twice to a random selection of homes-
with a reminder postcard sent in between.
Following the mail surveys, researchers
will work with volunteers to go door-todoor to collect uncompleted surveys from
non-respondents. The researchers' goal is
to obtain at least 400 completed surveys-
a task that may prove challenging with a
population that has not been responsive
to written surveys in the past. Preliminary meetings in June with a small group
of community leaders and stakeholders,
however, allowed the researchers to get
valuable input in tailoring the survey to
the targeted respondents.
Finally, West and Shores will conduct a
number of focus groups with youth, adults,
and seniors who live in the community surrounding the park. The focus group interviewing will, West and Shores hope, fill in
" data gaps, " allowing the researchers to
gather such in-depth information as residents' perceptions of park safety, attitudes

How Donors are Contributing to Park Research
While a lot of research on parks centers on playgrounds, the research project associated with the Parks
Build Community Initiative at Selena Butler Park in Atlanta has a broader focus on the public use of the entire
park and its facilities. And the new park facilities donated by vendors, park equipment suppliers, and manufacturers will offer a variety of opportunities for research on how people use the park and its amenities.
Not only has PlayCore, Inc., donated a complete playground in accordance with Atlanta's park planners' criteria, but Superior Industries International (Sii) has contributed outdoor fitness equipment ideally
suited for adult and senior use. And Converse, as a result of its relationship with the Health Education
Communication Center of Atlanta (HECCA), is donating the complete renovation of the basketball court.
Other donations will support community engagement and public use of the park. For example, picnic and
shade structure amenities donated by Kay Park and Play World will enable longer visits to the park by
families and groups. Lighting donated by Musco will allow for after-dark use of the park in fall and winter.
Donations of other supporting park features are also in the pipeline as the park rebuilding gets underway.
NRPA's donors and vendors are contributing to the success of long-term research to show that parks build
communities.

The 2011 Parks Build Community
effort at Selena Butler Park is still
seeking the following donations:
Engineered wood fiber
Community garden supplies
and materials
Landscaping and plant materials
Park signage
The list goes on. If you are interested
in becoming a Parks Build Community
donor, please contact Karla Kelly at
kkelly@nrpa.org (703.858.2197)
For more information about the
program and the donor benefits NRPA
offers, visit http://www.nrpa.org/
parksbuildcommunity/
about accessibility, and daily habits affecting park use.

About More Than Physical Health
" We have built our careers, " says West,
" on work intended to build support for
the value of parks in getting people more
active. But parks do more than promote
physical activity. Similar to most recreation professionals, we believe parks enhance mental and spiritual health, as well
as build families and communities, just to
name a few of the other benefits. "
Will the researchers be able to evaluate those kinds of intangible benefits
along with the impact on residents' physical activity? Perhaps West's and Shores's
observations, surveys, and focus group
interviews will only point toward benefits
beyond the physical. But, in an area of research that is still in its pioneering stages, the implications for future study are
just as compelling as the particulars of
Selena Butler Park. " We believe that our
work here is just one piece of the puzzle, "
says West, " and that additional research is
needed for all types of park and recreation
services...within all types of communities. "
Fitzpatrick-Navarro agrees. " Part of
what is exciting about this research is that
we do not yet know all that we may discover about how a park impacts a community. We hope we will see these research
findings become part of NRPA's larger
collection of evidence on the far-reaching
benefits of parks. "
Maureen Hannan is Senior Editor,

Parks & Recreation
62 Parks & Recreation

AUGUST 2011

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August 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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