PARKS AS A PLACE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
For the National Outdoor Recreation Professionals Conference
Dr Christine Vogt
Cybil Kho Wei Ling
PLACE YOUR PHOTO HERE
Our study’s research problem is to quantify the social and health values of park use.
STUDY’S FOCUS
SOCIAL VALUES Demographic composition of
park users, their social interaction with park users,
and place attachment.
HEALTH VALUES Physical activity levels that occur in parks and mental restorative conditions from
park uses.
QUANTIFYING VALUE OF PARK USE
14% of land allocated for parks and
green space
276 mi sq land area
Population of
5.5 million
521 parks and green
spaces
ABOUT SINGAPORE
Greening and tree-planting
NATIONAL PARKS BOARD
1960s 1980s
1990s
Adding flowering species
Greater focus on recreation
Providing parks with different
themes
Parks & Trees Act
Parks and Recreation Department
1975
1996s
BACKGROUND AND METHODS
SITES SELECTION Age of Town & Density of Greenery
BEDOK • Mature towns • Pre-1980s • Park size: 41 ha • Population: 423,000
BISHAN-AMK • Middle-aged towns • 1980s and early 1990s • Park size: 65 ha • Population: 213,000
PUNGGOL WATERWAY • Young towns • Undergoing mass development • Park size: 16 ha • Population: 162,000
BEDOK RESERVOIR PARK
BISHAN-ANG MO KIO PARK
BISHAN-ANG MO KIO PARK
BEFORE AFTER
BISHAN-ANG MO KIO PARK
PUNGGOL WATERWAY PARK
Mental
restoration benefits
Data on greenery measures,
housing, and park features
Independent Variable Maturity of estates which parks are in [Including newly developed or renovated parks]
Social measurements and theories:
social interaction, social motivations,
people’s attachment to place
IN A GLANCE More about this study
Health measurement
tools for observations (SOPARC)
Physical Health
Benefits
Mental Health
Benefits
Social Benefits
Economic Benefits
Environmental Benefits
Physical Activity
within Park
Park Visit
User
Characteristics - Interpersonal - intrapersonal
Park
Characteristics - Structural
Benefits of parks and park
usage
Park use
Correlates of park use/non-use
PARK USER AND ASSOCIATED BENEFITS Bedimo-Rung, Mowen, Cohen (2005)
Mature districts compared to middle and younger districts, have: • Higher perception of greenery level by users • Higher levels of social interactions • Higher level of vigorous physical activity • Higher mental restoration benefits
HYPOTHESES
1,089 completed
surveys
Observations on 3,989 park user groups
A random sampling calendar
COLLECTING AND ANALYSING DATA Methods & Techniques
216 hours of survey and 72 hours of observations [1 completed survey per 5 minutes]
April- June All days of the week
7AM to 8PM
12 times per park, 4 hours of fieldwork each time
COLLECTING DATA Time spent at the Park
Bedok (n=1,353)
33%
Punggol Waterway (n=1,158)
30%
Bishan-AMK (n=1,478)
37%
PARK USE SAMPLE SIZE Total OBSERVATION Sample=3,989
Bedok (n=385),
35%
Bishan-AMK (n=359),
33%
Punggol (n=345),
32%
Recorded 761 Refusals
PARK USE SAMPLE SIZE Total SURVEY Sample=1,089
FINDINGS
Park users validated green cover at the three parks.
Bedok Bishan–AMK
Punggol
Number of mature trees for shade 3.8 3.4 2.9
Presence of aesthetically beautiful trees and plants 3.4 3.6 3.6 Opportunities to see animals (birds, butterflies, squirrels) 2.9 2.8 2.9
Scale: 1=Not many to 5= A lot
PERCEPTION OF ENVIRONMENT
Park Characteristic
3.8 3.4
2.9 3.4
3.6 3.6
2.9 2.8 2.9
Bedok Bishan-AMK Punggol
The playground was found to be the facility where most talking and socializing activity occurred.
Talking and Socializing Activities Observed Bedok Bishan-AMK Punggol
Playground 81% 87% 90%
Gazebo 47% 57% 73%
Bench 37% 43% 51%
Jetty 40% 40% 40%
Trail- Walking 29% 32% 21%
Trail- Cycling 16% 14% 16%
Trail- Jogging 5% 4% 5%
PARK FACILITIES FOR SOCIALIZING
A majority of park users positively responded to smiles; with Punggol Waterway being the friendliest.
FRIENDLINESS IN PARKS Measuring Social Outcomes
18%
19%
21%
16%
26%
19%
66%
55%
60%
Punggol
Bishan
Bedok
Unreachable with Smile Experiment were: 50%, 41%, 37% of respondents from Bedok, Bishan, and Punggol respectively.
PROXIMITY OF RESIDENCE User Characteristic
51% 26% 23%
16%
26% 22%
33% 48% 55%
Bedok Bishan Punggol
Distant districtNearby districtAdjacent
Social Interaction “When you visit this park, do you see other people you know?”
Bedok
Bishan –
AMK
Punggol Waterway
Often 9% 7% 8%
Sometimes 32 35 32
Infrequently 23 23 21
Never 36 36 39
Peters et al. (2010) reported in a study of 3 Dutch urban parks that few interactions occurred, but those that did occur were actively sought and valued as positive.
SEEING PEOPLE IN PARKS Measuring Social Outcomes
MEASURING SOCIAL OUTCOMES
Bishan VS Punggol
Frequent
Infrequent
BISHAN-AMK PUNGGOL
Distance Distance
MEASURING SOCIAL OUTCOMES
by Park Frequency and Proximity
1. Frequent users indicated they were more likely to “often” see people they knew during a visit than infrequent users.
2. When frequency was controlled, the proximity and social interaction weakened but was still significant.
3. Those who live distant and infrequently use the park were more likely to be socially inactive when at a park.
Trails are the dominant facility used in parks. The park in the most mature district had higher usage of benches, playgrounds and jetty than the other parks studied.
Facility
Bedok Bishan – AMK Punggol
Trail-Sidewalk-Path
64% 87% 86%
Bench 12 5 4
Gazebo 4 2 1
Playground 6 1 3
Jetty 7 --- 1
Nature Areas (i.e., grass, shoreline)
7 5 5
DOMINANT PARK FACILITY
Park Characteristic
Pull factors Greenery
Tranquil areas Trails and park
facilities Accessibility from
home
Push factors Getting away from everyday life Talking with family or friends Spending time with spouse or boy/girlfriend Having fun with others Being around other people
MOTIVATIONS
Measured with 5-point Likert Scale,
1) Pull motives are stronger than Push motives.
2) Pull: Greenery, tranquil areas and accessibility from home were the strongest motives.
3) Push: Getting away from everyday life was the strongest motive.
Bedok
Bishan–
AMK
Punggol
Pull 4.1 4.2 4.2
Push 3.1 3.0 3.2
Scale: 1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree
MOTIVATIONS
Based on means from 5-point Likert Scale,
Exercise is the most popular reason to use parks, followed by relaxation, socialization, transport, and programming.
Bedok Bishan–AMK Punggol
Exercise 64% 62% 64% Relaxation 22 21 20
Socialize 7 8 10
Transport – Short Cut
3 3 3
Program 1 1 1
Other 3 6 2
MAIN REASON FOR PARK USE
Solo park uses are most common.
SOLO OR ACCOMPANIED Park Visit
50% 53%
45%
34% 36% 36%
17%
11%
16%
Bedok Bishan Punggol
Solo
Family
Friends/colleagues
Particularly male solo use.
SOLO PARK VISITS
Males
Females
38% 39% 35%
12% 14%
10%
Bedok Bishan Punggol
50% 45%
53%
Males make up about 75% of solo park
use.
Vigorous physical activities were a greater proportion of park uses at Punggol Waterway. Sedentary activities were the lowest proportion of park uses at the 3 parks studied.
Bedok
Bishan – AMK
PunggolW
Vigorous 62% 53% 76%
Moderate 57% 66% 42%
Sedentary 21% 21% 18%
LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES
Physical and Health Outcomes
ACTIVITIES AT THE PARK
based on Intensity Level of Activity
12%
53%
16%
5%
20%
40%
8%
52%
36%
13%
6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Cycling Jogging Walking Exercising Playground Walkingdog
Resting Eating
BedokBishanPunggol
Cycling Jogging Walking Exercising Playground Walking
dog
Resting Eating
VIGOROUS SEDENTARY MODERATE
For vigorous physical activities, • Cycling is the most popular at Punggol. • Jogging is popular at Bedok.
For moderately physical activity, • Walking is popular at Bishan-AMK Park.
All 3 parks offered a less active option for park users.
ACTIVITIES AT THE PARK
based on Intensity Level of Activity
Singaporean park users scored high on a mental restoration scale, compared to Finnish subjects (Korpela et al., 2010).
Means
Bedok Bishan-AMK Punggol Overall restoration scale ROS (Finnish study 3.5)
4.1
4.1
4.1
Specific elements of “restoration”
Calming 4.2 4.2 4.1
Restored and relaxed 4.2 4.2 4.1
New enthusiasm and energy for routines
4.0 4.1 4.1
Increased concentration and alertness
4.0 4.0 4.1
Worries forgotten 3.9 3.9 4.0
Clearing and clarifying thoughts
4.1 4.1 4.0
Scale: 1=not at all; 5=completely
MENTAL RESTORATION
Physical and Health Outcomes
Mature districts compared to middle and younger districts, have: (1) Higher perception of greenery level by users Supported (2) Higher level of social interactions Unsupported (3) Higher level of vigorous physical activity Unsupported The newest park garnered the highest level of vigorous physical activity. (4) Higher mental restoration benefits Unsupported All of the parks were similarly high in mental restoration benefits.
HYPOTHESES
Conclusion
1. Many physical activities were carried out at each of the parks. The design of each park were found to influence the type of activity and extent of physical activity.
2. Proximity of the parks from home strongly motivated people to use the parks, particularly at the mature and middle age parks.
3. Restorative outcomes were high for the many who go to parks by themselves, as well as with friends and family. Greenery and tranquil areas in parks contributed to this restorative condition.
4. Extensive connectivity to nearby parks and the park connector system can draw park users from further districts to a park.
5. Moderate levels of social value were found in parks. Yet, there could be more opportunities to create informal and formal meeting places.
CONCLUSION
THANK YOU DR CHRISTINE VOGT
CYBIL KHO
Check out our Research Technical Notes on
our CUGE Website
THANK YOU