Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Stephanie A. Rolley / Complex issues and exciting opportunities lie at the intersection of public health and park design. One component of the
recently emerging field of design for active living explores the relationship between design and physical activity as part of a
transdisciplinary area of study. This study provides the opportunity to view the design strategies that landscape architects have used
to design parks through a lens of promoting physical activity.
The purpose of this study is to understand design strategies incorporated in two fitness parks in Louisville, Kentucky assist in
meeting public health goals for the citizens of Louisville. Two topical areas were explored: the physical design strategies used in the
parks; and the collaborative efforts among stakeholders to further the public health agenda for promoting physical activity in the
parks. A case study of two community scale fitness parks profiled the characteristics and design philosophies engaged in park
development. The methodology, based on qualitative procedures incorporated three types of investigation: 1) collection of
background data and documentation of Louisville’s parks and Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement; 2) interviews with key
stakeholders from public agencies, private non-profit foundations, and selected consultants who have completed parks design work in
Louisville; and 3) a case study analysis of two of the fitness parks in the city, based on the background data and input from subject
interviews, and an identification of physical design strategies in each park. Identification of design strategies was based on a
conceptual framework developed from the disciplines of public health promotion and landscape architecture, and input from local
agency stakeholders. A physical activity design strategy inventory form was developed to aid in analysis.
Anticipated results were two-fold:
1. Presentation of information to assist landscape architects in designing parks that intentionally provide engaging
opportunities for physical activity; and
2. Contribution to the dialogue between landscape architects and public health professionals, informing collaboration on
design projects and community programs.
Findings revealed that the two parks studied incorporated several physical design strategies that promote physical activity,
reflecting the mature park culture in Louisville, Kentucky, home to one of five designed Olmsted Parks and Parkways systems in the
United States. The physical activity design strategy inventory form developed in this study as an audit tool warrants additional study
as a potential audit and design tool to engage landscape architects designing for physical activity and informing others of ways that
park design can play a role in physical activity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:KSU/oai:krex.k-state.edu:2097/4330 |
| Date | January 1900 |
| Creators | Winslow, Jane Futrell |
| Publisher | Kansas State University |
| Source Sets | K-State Research Exchange |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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