Urban parks as leisure settings: Perception and use in three parks from Barcelona Parchi urbani come impostazioni di tempo libero: Percezione e l'uso di tre parchi da Barcellona José V. Pestana, Ángela Castrechini & Núria Codina Universitat de Barcelona
OCIO GUNE NETWORK
[email protected]
Rimini, September 2012
introduction
Parks are public spaces that converge multiple types of individuals and groups. Different uses and experiences generate different types of perceptions and assessments of these spaces. Research question: What are the uses and experiences in urban parks with a high frequency of visit and a heterogeneous social composition? General objective: Identify relationships between subjective variables, social and environmental factors that influence the valuation and uses of parks as leisure settings
ESTACIÓ DEL NORD PARK
methodology Variables: • Frequency of visit • Time devoted to visit the park • Activities performed • Space valuation and • General satisfaction
District: Eixample Address: C/Almogàvers, 27-61 Entrances: C/Almogàvers, Sardenya, Nàpols & Lepant Area: 3.16 hectares Timetable: 10:00-22:00h Park facilities: Children’s playgrounds; sport courts; ping-pong tables; pipican; bicycle parking
Data collection: When? • Mornings and afternoons, week and weekends Where? • Inside and outside the parks Who? • 3 interviewers (1 per park)
Sample selection: 3 urban parks: Joan Miró, Pegaso & Estació del Nord
Schedule: May 1st to July 3rd
Sample: n= 300 visitors 100 visitors/park
Table 1. Prevalence (%) of Gender and Age according to Parks
Table 2. Prevalence (%) of Frequency of visits and Time spent according to Parks
Parks
Parks
PEGASO PARK
results
District: Sant Andreu Address: C/ de la Sagrera, 179-197 Entrances: C/ de la Sagrera, Rovira i Virgili; Pegàs & Portugal Area: 3.65 hectares Timetable: 8:00-20:00 Park facilities: Children’s playgrounds; sport courts; parking; pipican
n
Frequency
Joan Miró
Estació Pegasus del Nord
χ2
Gender Men
130 49.5
31.0
51.0
Women
167 50.5
69.0
49.0
10.37**
Age 21.44**
Frequency
n
Joan Miró
Pegasus
Estació del Nord
Never / almost never
38
8.1
12.0
18.4
Several times in a year
28
7.1
12.0
9.2
Several times in a month
33
13.1
6.0
14.3
Several times in a week
94
46.5
16.0
32.7
Almost every day / every day
104
25.3
54.0
25.5
16-29
74
23.2
20.0
31.6
30-39
72
27.3
27.0
18.4
Time devoted
40-49
54
21.2
18.0
15.3
1 - 20 min
45
12.1
17.0
16.3
50-64
53
11.1
28.0
14.3
21 - 50 min
66
22.2
19.0
25.5
65 and more
44
17.2
7.0
20.4
More than 50 min
186
65.7
64.0
58.2
χ2 39.19***
2.34
Note. * p < .01. ** p < .05. *** p < .001.
results Table 3. Means, Standard Deviations, and One-Way Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) for Effects of Parks on Activities performed at the parks Joan Miró
Pegasus
Estació del Nord
Activities
M
SD
M
SD
M
Walking and resting
2.16
.94 1.91
.87
2.24
.93 3.58
.029
Dog-walking activity
1.33
.74 1.43
.75
1.71
.93 5.97
003
Letting children playing
1.70
.94 2.11
.98
1.45
.78 13.38
.000
Meeting with others
1.60
.85 1.79
.82
1.53
.80 2.64
.073
Sport / leisure activities
1.26
.63 1.16
.48
1.18
.54
.92
.399
Passing place
1.46
.79 1.95
.90
1.26
.54 21.31
.000
Table 4. Means, Standard Deviations, and One-Way Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) for Effects of Parks on Space valuation and on General Satisfaction
ANOVA
SD F (3, 790) p
conclusions
Space valuation
Pegasus
Estació del Nord
M
M
M
SD
SD
ANOVA
SD F (3, 790)
p
Environment
7.69
1.32 6.24 1.72 7.00 1.55
21.90
.000
Preservation
7.21
1.74 5.14 2.01 6.61 1.64
34.52
.000
Design
7.65
1.61 5.88 2.23 6.51 2.02
20.40
.000
Play and sport facilities
7.83
1.72 5.86 2.27 4.82 2.16
53.57
.000
Lighting
5.13
2.30 4.46 2.34 5.59 2.21
4.13
.017
Cleanness
6.15
1.65 4.63 2.09 5.92 2.02
17.84
.000
Security
3.40
2.27 1.46 2.32 4.64 2.72
41.94
.000
Street furniture and fixtures
7.01
1.47 6.27 2.09 6.08 1.79
7.27
.001
Civism
6.33
1.67 4.56 2.12 5.83 2.04
21.35
.000
Coexistence
7.07
1.59 5.55 2.26 6.40 1.76
15.69
.000
• There is a high use and satisfaction with the urban parks in the city of Barcelona. • The most common uses are concentrated on walking and resting, letting children playing and meeting with others.
Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Pegasus
Estació del Nord
General Satisfaction
M
SD
M
SD
M
SD F (3, 790)
I am satisfied with the possibility of enjoying the park
3.27
.62 2.86
.89
2.95
.44
9.69 .000
I like coming to this park
3.29
.60 3.03
.87
2.91
.35
8.13 .000
• Significant differences were observed among the parks: - Pegaso Park was the park most visited in general and it was visited more for women than for men - Estació del Nord Park was most visited by elderly people
- Both Pegaso and Estació del Nord reported a high use of their facilities and yet they show a poor assessment of their spaces - Joan Miró Park was the most valued of all the three parks and, at the same time, registered less use of their amenities.
future research questions
ANOVA
p
JOAN MIRÓ PARK District: Eixample Address: C/Tarragona, 74 Entrances: C/Vilamarí, Diputació, Tarragona & Aragó Area: 4.71 hectares Timetable: 10:00-22:00h Park facilities: Children’s playgrounds; sport courts; parking; pipican
- Do the parks meet the leisure needs of users / neighbors? - Which kind of factors may cause the difference between what people do in the urban parks–leisure activities–and how do they evaluate these spaces?
This contribution comes from “Uses, perceptions and conflict in urban public spaces: Identity, interaction, insecurity” reference PSI2010-21214-C02-02. Research supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation from Spain.
