Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Workshop report. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 202-203).

Although most city departments use citizen surveys to gather information from the public, very few use probability sampling to ensure a representative sample of the population. This report takes a first look at how park and recreation departments use citizen surveys to gather input from the public. The purpose of this report is to explore the extent to which adequate representation of communities is considered in citizen surveys. This report uses two approaches. First, interviews with parks and recreation administrators in 13 U.S. cities are analyzed to compare the use of surveys across departments. Second, responses from two samples of visitors to Barton Springs (a representative stratified sample and a non representative online sample) are analyzed to find differences in responses between the two samples. Qualitative analysis of the interviews found that although citizen surveys are common, few managers conduct citizen surveys using probability samples. In addition, adequate representation of the population is not generally recognized as one of the principal benefits of citizen surveys. Responses to the Barton Springs survey suggest that there are important differences between probability samples and non probability samples. This report supports that sampling techniques and survey methodology have a significant impact the results of citizen surveys. / text

In order to better understand how viewers, critics, journalists and series producers help shape the “quality TV” discourse and position shows within it, this project uses case studies of 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation and Parenthood to dissect how style, narrative and paratexts influence public discourse about “quality” programs both in print and on the Internet. Using Kristen Marthe Lentz’s theories on “quality TV” and “relevance programming,” I examine how each show uses a cinematic style in combination with various strategies such as special episodes, narrative complexity, intertextuality, patriarchal narrative and feminism to align themselves with other “quality” series more readily found on basic and pay-cable, while also allowing viewers and critics on popular culture sites like the A.V. Club to make “quality” comparisons. / text

This report is focused on the implementation strategies used by municipal governments to provision communities in San Diego California and Austin Texas with public parks. Green space is an important amenity in urban areas that improves the quality of life for residents. Low income who experience sustained mental fatigue from the stress associated with acquiring basic necessities may experience stress alleviation in vegetated environments. Comprehensive planning documents, city budgets and interviews with parks department employees were used to investigate the methods used to ensure equitable access to public parks in urban areas. Digital cartography was used to measure the proximity to green space at the city and neighborhood scale. Green space was broadly defined to include public parks, conserved lands, community gardens, greenways, and school yards. This is in keeping with the comprehensive plans of both cities. / text

The goal of this study was to develop an instrument to assist public park and recreation agencies in successfully repositioning their offerings in order to garner increased allocations of tax dollars. To achieve this, an agency must be perceived as providing public benefits, those that accrue to all members of its constituency. The scale sought to identify the importance of various community issues and perceptions of the agency's performance in contributing to those issues. A valid and reliable 36-item instrument was developed that encompasses nine distinct dimensions: Preventing Youth Crime, Environmental Stewardship, Enhancing Real Estate Values, Attracting and Retaining Businesses, Attracting and Retaining Retirees, Improving Community Health, Stimulating Urban Rejuvenation, Attracting Tourists, and Addressing the Needs of People who are Underemployed. These dimensions represent community issues that a park and recreation agency can contribute towards, and can therefore use as a basis for its repositioning efforts. Using a screening process by expert judges, a pretest sample of undergraduate students, and a sample of municipal residents, each of the importance and performance dimensions in the scale was judged to possess content validity, internal consistency, construct validity, and split-half reliability. A shortened version of the instrument was also demonstrated to possess internal consistency and construct validity. In a practical application, the scale proved useful in identifying repositioning options for the park and recreation department, both in isolation and relative to a public agency'competitor'. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are offered.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 323-347).

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture, Regional and Community Planning / Stephanie A. Rolley / This paper presents a model which identifies areas in state parks most susceptible to recreation related degradation. Factors of soil capability class rankings, slope, native vegetation presence, rangeland productivity, visitation, and revenue are overlaid in a weighted raster model to extract those land parcels within Glen Elder State Park, Kansas, which have the highest susceptibility to environmental degradation and greatest potential to generate high revenue. Park user characteristics stored in an attribute table are related to vulnerable parcels so park managers can develop management or mitigation strategies reflecting the strength of environmental, social, or economic interactions in an area.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Lee R. Skabelund / Inner city areas of many major American cities have fallen victim to “urban decay.” In many instances the result is abandonment. Nevertheless, the inner city can be redeveloped by landscape architects and others to provide a place to live, work, learn, and play while displaying sensitivity to the environment. Such developments can be wisely designed by following planning/design guidelines that follow sustainable design principles. The neighborhoods of the 5th Ward in St. Louis, Missouri are the victims of an aging industrial city. Many neighborhoods are troubled with socio-economic problems such as unemployment, low housing values, lack of educational services, scarcity of fresh, reasonably priced food, and elevated crime rates. The socio-economic problems listed above have been major factors in extensive depopulation and disinvestment since the mid 20th-century. “Today, as never before, conditions are ripe for parks to reenter the urban planning agenda. This opportunity exists because so much inner-city land that was once actively used now lies fallow and can be reused for intelligently planned parks, because so much suburban land has been developed without adequate public open space that there is now a huge suburban constituency to support park development, and because so much undeveloped land is now subject to recently enacted legislation intended to protect the environment.” (Garvin 1996, 30) The overall goal for this project is to create a productive uses for the 5th Ward’s vacant land in order to encourage economic and social growth. This can be achieved through investments in urban agriculture and accessible community space. This project serves as a potential solution for renewal of lost urban community infrastructure that includes parks and agricultural cropland. Implementing recreation and urban agriculture on vacant land could help spawn a rebirth and sustain a vibrant and economically-viable community fabric.

Master of Science / Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Ted T. Cable / Dillon Nature Center has a wide variety of exhibits that teach the public about the natural resources of Kansas. The purpose of my study was to conduct an exploratory study about the effectiveness of two key exhibits in the nature center (Underground Theater and Tornado), as well as evaluate the use of Quick Response Code or QR codes along one of the trails. A visitor survey was used to collect these data over 30 3- hour sampling periods. One hundred and ninety-five visitors were surveyed during the extent of my study. Fifty-four of those who were surveyed went into the Underground Theater exhibit and 47 went into the Tornado exhibit. I concluded that the Underground Theater exhibit was successful in providing useful information to the visitor, whereas the Tornado exhibit provided little useful information to the visitor. Visitors slightly preferred the use of QR codes along the trail even though the actual use was low. This study indicated that the type of exhibit greatly impacts what the visitor takes away from the exhibit. I also showed that it is likely people prefer newer technology to be available at the nature center. These findings provided the management and staff of Dillon Nature Center with information to guide their interpretive-planning efforts.

No description available.