Matt Folda

Angelica Vazquez

Loc Nguyen

Omaha’s Green Space

We did our research on parks in Omaha, focusing on the differences among the parks in

the North, South, and West Omaha areas. Omaha has many parks of different sizes and quality

that vary depending on where the park is located. The main differences in the parks in the

separate regions of Omaha are based upon size, number of parks in the area, and also the race

and income of the surrounding areas.

North Omaha South Omaha West Omaha

Average Size in acres 84.7 81.3 126.09

Number of Parks 34 13 60+

Sizes and Number of Parks

North Omaha

      North Omaha is the second largest area in terms of sizes and numbers of parks. Cunningham Park is

one of the largest in Omaha and the largest park that we researched at over 1,400 acres. Even though there

are many parks in North Omaha, due to the poor quality of the surrounding neighborhoods, the parks are

of poorer quality as well.

      West Omaha

West Omaha outright has the most number of parks and the largest in the three parts of omaha.

Zorinsky Park is the largest in West Omaha and the second largest park out of the parks we researched

which is about 1,023 acres in size. The second largest park in West Omaha is Walnut Grove Park at 55

acres. The houses in the neighborhood surrounding  Zorinsky Park are on average between $5,000-20,000

higher than the average price of houses in West Omaha as a whole. The majority of people who live in

West Omaha are white with households’ incomes above the average for all of West Omaha.

South Omaha

South Omaha have the least amount of parks, but the average size is similar to that of North

Omaha’s parks. Compared to West Omaha’s parks, South Omaha parks are behind in every aspect such

as size, number of parks, and quality.  Seymour Smith Park, the largest park in South Omaha, is only 197

acres and the other 14 Parks are 50 acres or less. This shows that most of the parks in this area are quite

small when comparing them to West Omaha. The neighborhoods surrounding Seymour Smith Park are

more expensive than the other parks in the area there are main attractions on Harrison Street where the

park is located.

Amenities

Before comparing all of the areas’ amenities, first is information on how the renovations and

upkeep is paid for. When someone buys a house and buys into a homeowners association, they agree to

common ownership of liabilities for that community. If a park in the neighborhood is in disarray, then

there is a vote within all of the homeowners in the community to decide whether or not to make the

changes necessary which would include adding amenities, replacing them, or making repairs on them.

This also includes landscaping, enforcing rules, and maintaining insurance policies. If the vote is a

majority for the changes then each household will have to pay a certain amount of money in order for the

appropriate changes be made.

West Omaha vs. South Omaha

When comparing these two areas there seemed to be more amenities in the parks that reside in

West Omaha than there were in the parks in South Omaha. For example, a park in West Omaha called

Harvey Oaks Park has a playground, three baseball fields, two tennis courts, a picnic area, open space,

and restrooms compared to Morton Park in South Omaha which has a playground, a baseball field, a

swimming pool, a picnic area, and shelters. There is clearly more available to visitors in Harvey Oaks

Park than in Morton Park. There was a considerable amount of parks in West Omaha that had open space,

while there were only two parks in South Omaha that had some open space in the parks. The lack of

amenities would have to do with the size of South Omaha and also with the neighborhoods surrounding

them. The average home price for South Omaha is $83,000 compared to West Omaha’s houses averaging

a price of $224,950. The neighborhoods will be smaller, which would make the parks smaller with less

room for such amenities. The neighborhoods in West Omaha would be able to renovate and add to their

parks more often than the neighborhoods in South Omaha would be able to.

West Omaha vs. North Omaha

      When comparing these two areas, we have found that there are more similarities in amenities

than differences in the amounts of amenities in the parks. The big difference in the parks is the cleanliness

and the upkeep of the parks and their amenities. The West Omaha neighborhoods are able to afford the

renovations and upkeep of their parks’ amenities frequently while in North Omaha they won’t be able to

spend the money on the upkeep in their parks. Each area may have the same number and types of

amenities, but the quality of them differ significantly.

South Omaha vs. North Omaha

There are a few differences between the amenities in the parks of South Omaha compared to the

parks of North Omaha. First of all, there are more amenities in North Omaha parks than there are in the

South Omaha parks. This is because of the size of North Omaha compared to South Omaha. With more

space in the parks, there will be more amenities than in South Omaha where there is less space for such

amenities. Another difference between the two areas’ parks is the quality of their amenities in the parks.

The amenities in South Omaha parks are higher quality than the amenities in the North Omaha parks.

This is because of the income of the people in the neighborhoods around them. In South Omaha, they will

be able to pay for the upkeep of the amenities more often than the people in North Omaha, who may not

even ever pay for such upkeep. The comparison between North Omaha parks and South Omaha parks in

regards to their amenities is that North Omaha parks have more amenities, but of poorer quality, while

South Omaha parks have less amenities of higher quality than the North Omaha parks.

   

Race and Income

The pie charts below show the division of races in the Omaha area. Since people like to

think that Omaha is quite segregated, the charts show that the ideal has some truth to it. While

doing researching, it was quite shocking to see how different the population numbers are than

what one seems to think. In regards to North Omaha and South Omaha, it was quite shocking to

see that not only did the minority populations, that are thought to be the majority in the area, not

reach fifty percent, they did not even reach thirty.

South Omaha vs. North Omaha

Average Income in North Omaha - $52,369

Average Income in South Omaha - $ 56,067

            As can be seen there is not much of a monetary difference between the South and the North. The

only difference is the race, which despite of location is shocking for both regions. In North Omaha there

is a 17% population of African Americans whilst the South only has 3% population. The percentage of

Hispanic people living in both, North and South Omaha, is not a drastic as the change in percentage of

African Americans living in the north and South Omaha.  The parks are similar, with the exception that

North Omaha has a bit more green and recreational space.

North Omaha vs. West Omaha

Average Income in North Omaha - $52,369

Average Income in West Omaha - $87,859   

North Omaha and West Omaha are very different, in money, in population and in parks. There is a higher

percent of Asians and White people in West Omaha, making above the $52,000 that North Omaha makes.

There is more time for leisure plus the surrounding parks are big in comparison to the parks in North

Omaha.

South Omaha vs. West Omaha

.

Average Income in West Omaha - $87,859

Average Income in South Omaha - $56,067

The differences between South and West are not only population-wise but monetary. The

average income in West Omaha is $87,859 making the population there make about 20,000

dollars more, meaning the parks would be more vibrant and people would focus more on the

quality and good times. when a population makes more money it has time for leisure activities

and there is where the big parks and their golf courses come in and equal to green space.  

Pictures

Center Park in West Omaha

This is Center park which is at 15901 Valley St. 68130. In the pictures you can see the tennis courts, the

playground and swings, along with a trail and open space. Overall, it looks like a clean park with

numerous designated trash cans.

Zorinsky Lake Park in West Omaha

This is Zorinsky Lake Park which is located at 3808 S. 156th St. 68130. In the pictures you can see two

separate playgrounds. In the middle picture you can see Lake Zorinsky and also shows a lot of the open

space in the park. This park looks very clean and taken care of with relatively newer playground

equipment in the picture on

Seymour Smith Park in South Omaha

This is Seymour Smith Park at 6802 Harrison St. 68127. In the pictures you can see the wet park there.

Also some open space with some trees. In the background of the picture on the right, you can see lights

up above the trees which are for the baseball fields that are behind the trees.

Mandan Park in South Omaha

This is Mandan Park located at 6215 S 13th St 68107. In the picture you see the picnic area and also some

open space in the background. Also there is sand indicating the playground. The park looks pretty dirty in

this picture because of all of the trash lying around and the trash cans full as if nobody has come to take

the trash out of the trash cans in a while.

Dodge Park in North Omaha

This is Dodge Park located at 11005 John J Pershing Dr 68112. In these pictures you can see two of the

picnic areas, a playground and a docking port. Being that Dodge Park is located along the Missouri River,

it is not uncommon to see a high number of boat traffic. There is also, a lot of open space with trees as

seen in these pictures. The park looks well kept with a playground that looks a little old, but overall a

quality park.

Cunningham Lake Park

This is Cunningham Lake Park which is located at 8305 Rainwood Rd 68122. In these pictures you can

see Cunningham lake. There is a lot of open space in this park with also the opportunities to use boats on

the lake. This is a pretty nice park that is kept clean and one of the nicer parks in North Omaha.

        Conclusion

After all of the analysis and research, our conclusion is that there is the most green space

in the area of West Omaha. There are a lot more parks in the area than North Omaha and South

Omaha while also having bigger parks as well.We conclude that this is because of the income of

the area. Although, Omaha is predominantly white, there are differences in the incomes of the

different areas which will lead to more green space and higher quality of green space. The West

Omaha area has a higher average income than the other two areas which is a big factor in why

the West Omaha area has the most green space. More people are willing to pay to have more

parks in this area as well as to keep them maintained and updated.

Citations

"Point2 Homes." South Omaha Demographics & Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

"Point2 Homes." West Omaha Demographics & Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

"Point2 Homes." North Omaha Demographics & Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

"Find a Park." Omaha Parks Recreation Public Property. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

<http://parks.cityofomaha.org/parks/search-parks?pid=all>.

"Neighborhood Demographics Search." Neighborhood and Demographics Information. N.p., n.d.

Web. 12 Nov. 2015.

"West Omaha Neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska (NE), 68010, 68114, 68134, 68154, 68164

Detailed Profile." West Omaha Neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska (NE), 68010, 68114, 68134,

68154, 68164 Subdivision Profile. Urban Mapping. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. <http://www.city-

data.com/neighborhood/West-Omaha-Omaha-NE.html>.

"West Omaha, Omaha, NE - Lifestyle and Demographics - Realtor.com®." Realtor.com. 2015.

Web. 12 Nov. 2015. <http://www.realtor.com/local/West-Omaha_Omaha_NE/lifestyle>.

Jorgensen, Anna, and Paul H. Gobster. "Shades of Green: Measuring the

Ecology of Urban Green Space in the Context of Human Health and Well-

Being." Nature and Culture Nat Cult 5.3 (2010): 338-63. ProQues. Web.

8 Oct. 2015.<http://search.proquest.com.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/socabs/docview/8351138 05/98E4496372304FABPQ/1?accountid=14692>.

Buttel, F. "New Directions In Environmental Sociology." Annual Review of

Sociology 13 (2007): 465-88. ProQuest. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

<http://search.proquest.com.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/socabs/docview/6094036

2/E83C5EA3959B414APQ/14?accountid=14692>.

Maiti, Sutapa, and Praween Agrawal. "Environmental Degradation in the

Context of Growing Urbanization: A Focus on the Metropolitan Cities of

India." Journal of Human Ecology 17.4: 277-87. ProQuest. Web. 8 Oct.

2015.<http://search.proquest.com.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/socabs/docview/6051850 8/BD6912945FAF4E0BPQ/11?accountid=14692>.

Perez Adan, Jose. "Sociology and Environmental Problems." Estudios Filosoficos 41.117: 335-34.

ProQuest. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

<http://search.proquest.com.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/socabs/docview/6135027

2/358D577BE1C74C79PQ/2?accountid=14692>.

Martinelli, Franco. "Green Space and the Environment: The Evolution of the Needs of City

Dwellers." Sociologia E Ricerca Sociale 6.17-18: 231-43. ProQuest. Web.

8 Oct. 2015.

<http://search.proquest.com.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/socabs/docview/1463013

117/AD0DB53418D14321PQ/1?accountid=14692>.

Jan E. Stets and Chris F. Biga, Sociological Theory Vol. 21, No. 4 (Dec.,

2003) , pp. 398-423

Published by: American Sociological Association

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1602333

Randolph Haluza-Delay and Debra J. Davidson, The Canadian Journal of

sociology. Vol. 33, No. 3(July 2008) , pp. 631-656, Published by :

Canadian Journal of Sociology,Stable URL:

http//www.jstor.org/stable/canajsocicahican.33.3.631

Tammy L. Lewis and Craig R. Humphrey

Vol. 33, No. 2 (Apr., 2005) , pp. 154-169

Published by: American Sociological Association

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4127521

Raymond Murphy “The British Journal of Sociology”. Vol. 46, No. 4

(Dec., 1995), pp. 688-707. Published by: Wiley on behalf of London

School of Economics and Political Science. DOI: 10.2307/591578

<http://www.jstor.org/stable/591578>

Buttel, Frederick H. "Environmental Sociology and the Explanation of

Environmental Reform." Organization & Environment 16.3 (2003): 306-

1. ProQuest. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

Ladd, Anthony E. "Sociology, Humanism, and the Environmental \

Crossroads: Bringing Nature Back in." Humanity and Society 18.2 (1994):

49. ProQuest. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.

Lutzenhiser, Loren. "Environmental Sociology: The very Idea." Organization & Environment

15.1 (2002): 5-9. ProQuest. Web. 6 Oct.2015.

Mol, Arthur PJ. "FROM ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGIES TO

ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY?: A Comparison of U.S. and

European Environmental Sociology." ProQuest. SAGE PUBLICATIONS,

INC., Mar. 2006. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.

Picou, J. S. "In Search of a Public Environmental Sociology: Ecological

Risks in the Twenty-First Century." Contemporary Sociology 37.6 (2008):

520-3. ProQuest. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.

Riley E. Dunlap and William R. Catton, Jr.

Annual Review of Sociology

Vol. 5 (1979), pp. 243-273

Published by: Annual Reviews

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2945955

           

Goonan, Deborah. “Omaha HOA Homeowners Disagree over Park

Improvements.” Independent American Communities. 10 Nov. 2015. Web. 3

Dec. 2015.

<http://independentamericancommunities.com/2015/11/10/omaha-

homeowners-disagree-over-park-improvements/>.