This thesis evaluates a range of policy analysis techniques for application to an issue of policy choice. Divergent premises of two policy alternatives are defined and evaluated using policy impact analysis techniques. The two policy alternatives concern revenue recovery for the Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation public use cabin (PUC) program. The lack of a mechanism to recover revenues from program user fees is the primary constraint for the operation and development of the PUC program. The Division has proposed that the Alaska Legislature authorize the implementation of a program receipts policy. Because past legislative initiatives for program receipts have failed, Division staff have proposed implementation of a concessionaire strategy. This thesis determines which policy would ensure the continued operation and development of the PUC program. Classification analysis is used to categorize the operational strengths and weaknesses of each policy, and agency influence over these characteristics. Assumptional analysis is used to define the divergent premises of policy makers. These premises are developed as scenarios of program operations within the framework of a structured policy debate. The impacts of the scenarios are forecast using policy impact analysis techniques, and recommendations are made for an optimum policy strategy. A significant weakness of the program receipts policy is that it is uncertain whether it will be authorized by the Legislature. The failure of Legislative authorization is forecast to have significant mid-term impacts on the PUC program. The primary impact would be the deterioration of facilities; combined with further budget cutbacks, the Division may be forced to abandon the PUC program. Implementation of a concessions strategy would provide a viable alternative for program operations and development. Therefore, concessionaire operation is recommended as a contingency strategy to the program receipts policy. The methods applied to this case study are useful for either the development of, or the critical evaluation of policy directives. The techniques of assumptional analysis or the structured policy debate can be used to identify the assumptions and premises of policy makers. The structured policy debate also provides a means to check the logic of a policy argument. Policy impact analysis provides a means of forecasting or measuring the outcome of implementation. Taken together, the techniques provide for a normative evaluation of issues of policy choice. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

The concept of geopark was first proposed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999. After that, geotourism emerged as a novel strategy for sustainable development in rural areas. Tourism carrying capacity is a concept related to the optimum use of natural areas without creating environmental degradation. This concept has been widely employed in nature tourism in national parks. To apply the carrying capacity concept in global geoparks, the purpose of this study is to remodel existing tourism carrying capacity frameworks to foster sustainable use of global geoparks. A review of the development of carrying capacity concept and six tourism carrying capacity frameworks, namely, Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS), Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC), Visitor Impact Management (VIM), Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP), Visitor Activity Management Process (VAMP), and Tourism Optimization Management Model (TOMM) in Chapter 2 demonstrates that tourism carrying capacity concept is able to raise the awareness on sustainable tourism in national parks but these traditional tourism carrying capacity frameworks commonly failed to address the interests of all stakeholders. Thus, this thesis adopts the definition of tourism carrying capacity for geoparks as the situation or condition of a geopark where there is reconciliation (i.e., having balance and harmony) of environmental conservation, social maintenance, and economic development. Based on the three aspects (i.e., environmental conservation, social maintenance, and economic development) of this concept, a tailor-made framework for global geoparks was built in Chapter 3, using confirmatory factor analysis and the revised importance-performance analysis to evaluate tourism carrying capacity in Global Geoparks. Then the modified tourism carrying capacity framework was applied in two UNESCO Global Geoparks, namely, Hong Kong Global Geopark and Danxiashan Global Geopark, to address the inherent tensions between resources conservation and sustainable development in both Geoparks in Chapters 4 and 5. It was found that 1) there was compatibility only among the three dimensions, namely, environmental conservation, social maintenance, and economic development in two Geoparks; 2) the structure of the framework and the compatibility of the three dimensions can only be confirmed in the local community model (Figure 3.3) by the importance data of factors, i.e., resource, human environment, and facility. No validity can be established in the construct of the GGN model on the local community's satisfaction of the overall environments in two Parks and neither is there an agreement between the visitors in both Parks with the GGN criteria; and 3) from the satisfaction data on the three factors of the visitor model (Figure 3.4), i.e., environmental carrying capacity, political-economic carrying capacity, and socio-demographic carrying capacity, it shows that HKGP appears to be more sustainably managed than DXSGP. Collectively, this study has provided a new framework for evaluating tourism carrying capacity in a geopark. I hope to advance the methodological innovation of sustainable geotourism management and supplement the lacuna of criteria and standards for Global Geoparks in future studies.

No description available.

This research was initiated to address a shortfall in some of the previous work reviewed with respect to capital budgeting and allocation. This shortfall has to do with the very general manner in which the public sector is addressed. The public sector poses problems which are unique to its environment and the simple extension of private sector tools to this domain is considered ineffective. The central aim of this research is to develop an initial methodology for capital allocation to projects in the public sector. In developing this methodology the fundamental differences between the public and private sectors are pointed out. The methodology devised utilizes knowledge from the fields of Engineering Economy, Capital Budgeting, and Multi-Attribute Decision Analysis. Basic principles of Engineering Economy and Capital Budgeting are reviewed. The Multi-Attribute Decision Model selected for implementation in this research methodology is the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The procedure followed by the AHP is presented and its benefits and limitations are discussed. The research addresses the quantitative and qualitative aspects of assessing projects in the public sector. A hypothetical example is presented to demonstrate the manner in which the methodology works. The thesis concludes with recommendations and proposes areas for further research. / Master of Science

Lo Yuen Yee. / Thesis submitted in: December 2004. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-145). / Abstracts and questionnaires in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.i / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.v / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.vi / LIST OF TABLES --- p.ix / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.xi / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION / Chapter 1.1 --- Background --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- The Problem --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3 --- Objectives of the Study --- p.4 / Chapter 1.4 --- Definition of Terms --- p.5 / Chapter 1.5 --- Scope of the Study --- p.5 / Chapter 1.6 --- Organization of the Thesis --- p.6 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- "RECREATION, COUNTRYSIDE RECREATION AND THE COUNTRY PARKS PROGRAMME" / Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.8 / Chapter 2.2 --- Recreation and Countryside Recreation --- p.9 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- The Values of Outdoor Recreation and Wilderness Experience --- p.10 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- The Importance of Recreation --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Problems Associated with Recreation --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- The Concept of Outdoor Recreation Management --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2.5 --- Recreational Impacts --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2.6 --- Recreation Carrying Capacity --- p.14 / Chapter 2.2.7 --- Limits of Acceptable Change --- p.15 / Chapter 2.2.8 --- Recreational Experience and Visitor Satisfaction --- p.16 / Chapter 2.3 --- Definitions --- p.17 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Definitions of Recreation Choice and Preference --- p.17 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Recreation Setting of Hong Kong --- p.17 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Definition of Visitors' Recreational Experience and Satisfaction --- p.19 / Chapter 2.3.4 --- Concepts of Satisfaction in Outdoor Recreation --- p.20 / Chapter 2.3.5 --- "Definitions of Recreation Activities, Non-Recreation Activities, Active Recreation and Passive Recreation" --- p.21 / Chapter 2.4 --- Hong Kong's Country Parks Programme --- p.21 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Background of the Country Parks Programme --- p.22 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- The Establishment of the Country Parks --- p.24 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- The Themes and Design of Country Parks --- p.27 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- Conservation in Country Parks --- p.28 / Chapter 2.4.5 --- Recreation in Country Parks --- p.28 / Chapter 2.4.6 --- Education in Country Parks --- p.29 / Chapter 2.4.7 --- Conflicts in the Country Parks Programme --- p.29 / Chapter 2.4.8 --- The Elements of Change --- p.30 / Chapter 2.4.8.1 --- Population --- p.30 / Chapter 2.4.8.2 --- Age Structure --- p.33 / Chapter 2.4.8.3 --- Income Level --- p.34 / Chapter 2.4.8.4 --- Mobility --- p.35 / Chapter 2.5 --- Summary --- p.37 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- METHODOLOGY / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2 --- Construction of a Theoretical Framework --- p.39 / Chapter 3.3 --- Data Collection --- p.41 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Defining Information Needed --- p.41 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Defining Methods Used --- p.42 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Sampling --- p.42 / Chapter 3.3.3.1 --- Sampling Size --- p.42 / Chapter 3.3.3.2 --- Sampling Frame and Sampling Method --- p.43 / Chapter 3.3.3.3 --- Period of Survey and Study Areas --- p.44 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- Questionnaire Design and Pilot Study --- p.48 / Chapter 3.3.5 --- "Survey Implementation, Coding of Answers and Data Processing" --- p.49 / Chapter 3.4 --- Summary --- p.49 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- RECREATION CHOICE AND PREFERENCE / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.50 / Chapter 4.2 --- Perception of Visitors --- p.50 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- "Rating of Conservation, Education and Recreation" --- p.50 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Visitors' Immediate Perception of Country Parks --- p.52 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Development Versus Continual Protection of Country Parks --- p.53 / Chapter 4.3 --- Motivations of Visitors --- p.54 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Reasons for Visiting Country Parks --- p.54 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Purposes of Visit --- p.58 / Chapter 4.4 --- "Activities Performed, Preferred and Demanded in Country Parks" --- p.59 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Activities Performed by Visitors --- p.59 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Activities Preferred by Visitors --- p.62 / Chapter 4.4.3 --- Facility Provision and Matching Activities in Country Parks --- p.63 / Chapter 4.5 --- Choice between Passive Recreation and Active Recreation --- p.65 / Chapter 4.6 --- Changes since Inception of the Country Parks Programme --- p.67 / Chapter 4.6.1 --- Changes in Reasons of Visit since 1982 --- p.68 / Chapter 4.6.2 --- Performed Activities --- p.69 / Chapter 4.6.3 --- Preferred Activities --- p.71 / Chapter 4.7 --- Changes in the Profile of Country Parks Visitors --- p.72 / Chapter 4.7.1 --- Age Distribution --- p.72 / Chapter 4.7.2 --- Educational Attainment of Visitors --- p.73 / Chapter 4.8 --- Conclusions --- p.73 / Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- RECREATIONAL EXPERIENCES AND SATISFACTION LEVELS / Chapter 5.1 --- Introduction --- p.74 / Chapter 5.2 --- Facility and Services Evaluation --- p.74 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Visitors' Perception of Facility and Services Provision --- p.74 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Visitors' Satisfaction Levels on Facilities and Services --- p.80 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Areas in Need of Improvements --- p.86 / Chapter 5.3 --- Indicators of Visitors' Satisfaction Levels --- p.94 / Chapter 5.4 --- Satisfaction Levels of the Visit --- p.97 / Chapter 5.5 --- Conclusions --- p.98 / Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- PROGRAMME EVALUATION AND SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT / Chapter 6.1 --- Introduction --- p.99 / Chapter 6.2 --- Evaluation of the Country Parks Programme --- p.99 / Chapter 6.2.1 --- Realizing Aims of the Country Parks Programme --- p.99 / Chapter 6.2.2 --- Changing Recreation Setting in Country Parks --- p.102 / Chapter 6.2.3 --- Facility and Service Provisions in Country Parks --- p.105 / Chapter 6.3 --- Meeting New Recreational Needs in the 21st Century --- p.108 / Chapter 6.4 --- Conclusions --- p.112 / Chapter CHAPTER 7 --- CONCLUSIONS / Chapter 7.1 --- Introduction --- p.113 / Chapter 7.2 --- Major Findings of the Study --- p.113 / Chapter 7.2.1 --- Recreation Opportunity of Country Parks Visitors --- p.113 / Chapter 7.2.2 --- Recreational Experiences and Satisfaction Levels of Country Parks Visitors --- p.115 / Chapter 7.3 --- Implications on the Planning and Management of Country Parks --- p.116 / Chapter 7.3.1 --- The Role of Country Parks in the 21st Century --- p.116 / Chapter 7.3.2 --- Improvement made to the Country Parks Programme --- p.117 / Chapter 7.3.2.1 --- Improvement of Facility and Service Provisions --- p.118 / Chapter 7.3.2.2 --- Arrangement of Flexible Activity Programmes --- p.119 / Chapter 7.4 --- Limitations of Present Study --- p.120 / Chapter 7.5 --- Areas for Further Studies --- p.121 / APPENDICES / Chapter IA --- Visitor survey questionnaire in English --- p.123 / Chapter IB --- Visitor survey questionnaire in Chinese --- p.128 / Chapter IIA --- Comparison of recreation facilities within picnic places between 1980/81 and 2001/2002 --- p.133 / Chapter IIB --- "Comparison of footpaths, trails and walks within country parks between 1980/81 and 2001/2002" --- p.134 / Chapter IIC --- Summary of activity programmes provided by AFCD in country parks --- p.135 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.136

General and special public use of roads Abstract Subject matter of this thesis is general and special public use, whose object are roads. Institutes relating to public use of roads, such as charging for general use, restriction of general use and possible means of use, are analysed in this thesis. Focus is also put on the newest changes in this field and recent case law. The text also includes author's considerations de lege ferenda. The text itself, excluding introduction and conclusion, is divided into three chapters. In the first chapter institute of public use is analysed, especially its object and subject. Public use is also split into general and special. The second chapter offers general interpretation relative to roads, which are the object of public use. This interpretation deals with categorisation and defining aspects of each category of roads. Increased attention is paid to local roads in relation to their previous legislation, and also to private roads in public use due to the circumstances of their origin. The main part is included in the third chapter, which deals directly with general and special use of roads, as is legislated in Law no. 13/1997 Coll., on Land Communications (Road Act) and other legal regulations regulating limits of such use. This chapter is divided to subchapters on...

Increasing visitation to national parks and the resulting resource impact has caused many park administrators to implement restrictive use management strategies. Though it seems clear that the resource has benefited from these use restrictions, little research has been done to determine their effect on the visitor. The goal of this study was to provide information to help guide the administrators of Rocky Mountain National Park in evaluating current use management actions and developing new ones in the future to both satisfactorily meet the protection needs of the resource and protect the quality of the visitor experience. Frontcountry campers were surveyed to determine awareness and attitudes about current and possible use management actions, perceptions of national park management purpose and challenges, and socio-demographic information. Respondents favored the majority of current use management actions, but were opposed to strongly restrictive actions considered as a possibility in the future.

1 Abstract The topic of the presented thesis are issues related to public spaces. Public spaces are defined in the Municipalities Act and the Capital City of Prague Act and comprise all squares, streets, marketplaces, sidewalks, public green areas, parks and other areas accessible to anyone without restrictions, i.e. serving public use and irrespective of the ownership of the space. This is the only definition in the Czech legal system and several other norms refer to it. The main purpose of public spaces is their public use. Therefore, the relevant legal rules regulate also the limits of various activities in public spaces. The current legal regulation is rather brief and the topic has not been covered extensively in the legal doctrine as of yet. The aim of the thesis is to summarize the legal rules relevant to public spaces and the regulation of activities on them, as well as to identify issues and ambiguities stemming from the insufficient legal regulation. The first part of the work introduces the definition of public space and its history and illustrates the emergence and abolishment of public spaces. The legal definition characterizes public spaces using the listing of specific types of places and referring to a common characteristic, i.e. accessibility to public. It emphasizes that public spaces are...

A definição de ecoturismo adotada no Brasil é composta, basicamente, por três aspectos: a conservação do meio ambiente, a conscientização ambiental dos visitantes e o envolvimento da comunidade local. A partir desse enfoque, o presente trabalho analisa os resultados das políticas públicas para o desenvolvimento do uso público em Unidades de Conservação. A análise foi realizada por meio do estudo de casos de duas áreas protegidas, o Parque Estadual Turístico Alto do Ribeira (PETAR), localizado no Estado de São Paulo, no Brasil, e o Strathcona Provincial Park, situado na província de British Columbia, no Canadá. O estudo de casos múltiplos se utilizou de duas fontes de evidências, os documentos das políticas públicas identificadas e as entrevistas com os diversos atores envolvidos: poder público, comunidade local e visitantes. A análise dos documentos e das entrevistas foi realizada por meio da técnica de análise de conteúdo, com a utilização de procedimentos objetivos para o estudo dos textos. Inicialmente é apresentada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre políticas públicas, áreas protegidas e uso público, bem como uma descrição de todos os atos normativos identificados sobre uso público em Unidade de Conservação nos dois países e os resultados da análise de conteúdo. Entre os principais resultados, destaca-se que o foco das políticas públicas em atividades mais permissivas, no caso canadense, ou na restrição de atividades, no caso brasileiro, não é preponderante para a conservação do meio ambiente. A política de terceirizações, adotada em British Columbia e que começa a ser implantada em São Paulo, tem impactado de forma mais direta os três aspectos analisados. / The ecotourism definition adopted in Brazil is composed, basically, by three aspects: environmental conservation, environmental awareness of visitors and involvement of local community. From that approach, this study analyzes the results of public policies for public use development inside protected areas. The analysis was accomplished through the case study of two protected areas, Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park (PETAR), located in the State of Sao Paulo, in Brazil, and Strathcona Provincial Park, situated in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The multiple case study was based on two sources of evidence, the identified public policies documents, and interviews with the various stakeholders: government, local community and visitors. The analysis of documents and interviews was performed through the content analysis technique, which uses objective procedures for the text\'s study. Initially a literature review on public policies, protected areas and public use is presented, as well as a description of all identified legal acts on public use in protected areas in both countries, followed by the content analysis results. Among the key findings, it is highlighted that the focus of the policies in permissive activities, as in the Canadian case, or in its restriction, like in Brazil, is not the most significant aspect for the conservation of the environment. The outsourcing policy, already adopted in British Columbia and that starts to be deployed in Sao Paulo, has impacted more directly the three analyzed aspects.

A definição de ecoturismo adotada no Brasil é composta, basicamente, por três aspectos: a conservação do meio ambiente, a conscientização ambiental dos visitantes e o envolvimento da comunidade local. A partir desse enfoque, o presente trabalho analisa os resultados das políticas públicas para o desenvolvimento do uso público em Unidades de Conservação. A análise foi realizada por meio do estudo de casos de duas áreas protegidas, o Parque Estadual Turístico Alto do Ribeira (PETAR), localizado no Estado de São Paulo, no Brasil, e o Strathcona Provincial Park, situado na província de British Columbia, no Canadá. O estudo de casos múltiplos se utilizou de duas fontes de evidências, os documentos das políticas públicas identificadas e as entrevistas com os diversos atores envolvidos: poder público, comunidade local e visitantes. A análise dos documentos e das entrevistas foi realizada por meio da técnica de análise de conteúdo, com a utilização de procedimentos objetivos para o estudo dos textos. Inicialmente é apresentada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre políticas públicas, áreas protegidas e uso público, bem como uma descrição de todos os atos normativos identificados sobre uso público em Unidade de Conservação nos dois países e os resultados da análise de conteúdo. Entre os principais resultados, destaca-se que o foco das políticas públicas em atividades mais permissivas, no caso canadense, ou na restrição de atividades, no caso brasileiro, não é preponderante para a conservação do meio ambiente. A política de terceirizações, adotada em British Columbia e que começa a ser implantada em São Paulo, tem impactado de forma mais direta os três aspectos analisados. / The ecotourism definition adopted in Brazil is composed, basically, by three aspects: environmental conservation, environmental awareness of visitors and involvement of local community. From that approach, this study analyzes the results of public policies for public use development inside protected areas. The analysis was accomplished through the case study of two protected areas, Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park (PETAR), located in the State of Sao Paulo, in Brazil, and Strathcona Provincial Park, situated in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The multiple case study was based on two sources of evidence, the identified public policies documents, and interviews with the various stakeholders: government, local community and visitors. The analysis of documents and interviews was performed through the content analysis technique, which uses objective procedures for the text\'s study. Initially a literature review on public policies, protected areas and public use is presented, as well as a description of all identified legal acts on public use in protected areas in both countries, followed by the content analysis results. Among the key findings, it is highlighted that the focus of the policies in permissive activities, as in the Canadian case, or in its restriction, like in Brazil, is not the most significant aspect for the conservation of the environment. The outsourcing policy, already adopted in British Columbia and that starts to be deployed in Sao Paulo, has impacted more directly the three analyzed aspects.