Small children have been shown to be vulnerable to environmental contaminants, because of their developing nervous systems and small body size. Children may be exposed to environmental contaminants both indoors and outdoors. They are also more likely to ingestion of such pollutants because of the proximity to the pollutants to the surface, their hand-to-mouth behaviour and their tendency to eat soil. The aim of this study was to determine to which degree children may be exposed to pollutants in their outdoor playing areas. Most small children in urban areas spend their outdoor playing time in playgrounds situated in public parks. This study therefore investigated the level of pollutants in 50 playgrounds of public parks from two urban areas in south-east Queensland. The chemicals of interest were both heavy and light metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known to be detrimental to human health. This is the first study of its kind in Queensland and the first to investigate both metals and PAHs in Australia.. All of the playgrounds investigated contained both metals and PAHs, but none of these exceeded threshold values as determined by the Queensland Department of Health. The highest concentrations of the chemicals were found in the finest particles contained in the playground covers. Moisture played an important role in limiting the concentration of chemicals. More moisture was generally associated with lower concentrations of chemicals. The natural background contributed most of the metals, while most of the PAHs derived from various types of vehicular emissions through atmospheric deposition. Exposure levels for small children were estimated using three different models for calculating the possible exposure equivalent to a recognised reference PAH compound. All estimated values were below threshold exposure levels as provided for under Queensland guidelines. The practice of covering the playground surfaces with fresh bark chips was found to limit the concentrations of metals in playground covers. It is recommended that the practice of covering playground surfaces with bark be continued, and that, further, these surfaces should regularly be sprayed with water, especially in dry areas.

The Greek agora was created as an invitation to participate in the life of the city and it functioned as the heart of the city and its citizens. I want to bring this back into our commons of the city, by activating it and creating more meeting places.This project started out as a wish to activate our public spaces, and during the first study, I found that we need to engage the citizens more in the process to make it their place and in that way increase the usage. I sent out a questionnaire to all the organisations within the city to understand what was lacking in our public spaces and how the people wanted to develop them further.The answers from the community then turned into my proposition of the public square and parks of my hometown, Örnsköldsvik. In my proposition there are two main quotes from Eric Klinenberg’s book, Palaces for the people, that have been the core of my design‚“It is the interaction between people that creates society and the socially sustainable public urban space”. And the second one;“ Spending time in a market-driven, social setting, even a relatively       inexpensive fast-food restaurant or pastry shop requires paying forthe privilege”  I want to create a place where everyone can interact, no matter age, gender, ethnicity or social background.  In my design I’ve worked with flexibility and that the user is deciding in what way they want to use the space, depending on the time of the day, season of the year and amount of people in the group. One of my inventions is the material storage that enables a spontaneous activity in the city centre. A place where you can find the material for different activities, depending on your interest. It has the same design as the bus stop that we can see in this picture, with a 35 degree roof to make the best use of the pv panels on the roof. This energy source enables the possibility to charge your phone while waiting for the bus or during an activity. It is time for the citizens to connect in our commons.

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.

Lic.-avh. Alnarp : Sveriges lantbruksuniv.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Alnarp : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2001. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. Alnarp : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2005.

Experts agree that children need access to green spaces. Many urban children live in degraded environments unsuitable for outdoor play. Children primarily play in school yards. Low-income and African American children are often the victims of social, economic, and educational inequalities leading to the under-allocation of resources for their public schools. Patterns of wealth, advantage and disadvantage are geographically visible in Philadelphia's urban fabric in the segregation of many black and low-income neighborhoods. This is a direct result of historic urban development . Revitalization has aimed at rejuvenating the inner-city economically, but has lead to the displacement of many poor black families and increased segregation of classes. There is a high population of low-income African American children attending public schools in the inner-city. Philadelphia is known for their public-private funding partnerships for community projects and services. Funding problems resulting from low-tax revenue and disinterest of private investors have lead to a disparity in achievement and curriculum between city public schools, private, and suburban public schools. Federal policies attempt to lessen this gap and provide incentives for environmental education programs, but poorer schools lack the funding to expand curriculum and improve or maintain playgrounds. Philadelphia's parks and recreation programs have tried to provide child playscapes to disadvantaged children and schools additional outdoor resources, but racial tensions and neighborhood segregation act as repressors to this success. Guidelines are needed to help create programs and policies that can mitigate disadvantaged children's environmental equity. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning

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While academics and policy-makers seek to address historic segregation and its harmful impacts on communities, many such efforts have been unsuccessful. Therefore, this original research examines the role of public parks as potential sites of social and economic integration. These spaces serve as third places, or social spaces where community members regularly visit, similar to their regular visitation of their home and workplaces. In the City of Roanoke, three visited public parks serve as local third places where individuals of different social and economic backgrounds visit for various activities. However, visitors typically only interact with others similar to themselves. The exception appears to be when the third place provides a source of triangulation based in common interests. This form of triangulation is useful in establishing commonality among visitors, thus bridging existing gaps between communities. Said triangulation is successful when the third place provides a physically and socially comfortable environment affected by the space's design, location, and management. These three factors must combine to maintain a careful balance between welcoming visitors of diverse backgrounds, but also establishing a sense of comfort among visitors. Public spaces which achieve this balance realize their potential by becoming equitable third places. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning / This original research examines the role of public parks as potential sites of social and economic integration. Such sites serve as third places, or social spaces where community members regularly visit. These visits are like the regular visitation of the home and workplaces, which are likewise called the first and second places. In the City of Roanoke, three visited public parks serve as local third places where individuals of different social and economic backgrounds visit for various activities. However, visitors typically only interact with others like themselves. The exception appears to be when the third place provides a feature which stimulates conversation among visitors. The feature can establish commonality among visitors, thus bridging existing gaps between communities. However, these social interactions rely on a third place which provides a physically and socially comfortable environment affected by the space’s design, location, and governance. These three factors must combine to maintain a careful balance between welcoming visitors of diverse backgrounds, but also establishing a sense of comfort among visitors. Public spaces which achieve this balance realize their potential by becoming equitable third places.