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What Brings Children to the Park? Analysis and Measurement of the Variables Affecting Children's Use of Parks

Author

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  • Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris
  • Athanasios Sideris
Abstract
Problem: Children make little use of many neighborhood parks even though they have facilities for active recreation. Purpose: We examined the factors that bring children to parks, and aimed to understand how park visitation patterns differ between boys and girls, among children of different races and ethnicities, and between inner-city and suburban children. Methods: We surveyed children and their parents in 12 middle schools and analyzed the results. Our team also observed children at 50 inner-city and 50 suburban parks, and we used multiple regression models containing park- and neighborhood-level variables to relate them to the numbers of children using parks. Results and conclusions: The study confirms that many middle-school children make little use of parks. This is primarily explained by their own lack of interest in the existing park activities and their households' lack of time and concerns about safety. Active recreation facilities and organized sport programs, natural features, and good levels of maintenance and cleanliness are the most significant factors attracting middle-school children to parks. Our survey found some significant gender, racial, and ethnic differences in preferences for park equipment, perceptions of park safety, and park visitation patterns. Additionally, our regression models confirmed that inner-city and suburban children were attracted to parks of different sizes and containing different facilities, and that the association between park safety and park use was also different in these two settings. Takeaway for practice: Neighborhood parks provide the potential for active recreation, but they are often underutilized and attract only a subset of neighborhood children. Planners should take into account that different factors attract different groups of children to parks. Research support: This research was supported by the John Randolph and Dora Haynes Foundation.

Suggested Citation

  • Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris & Athanasios Sideris, 2010. "What Brings Children to the Park? Analysis and Measurement of the Variables Affecting Children's Use of Parks," Journal of the American Planning Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 76(1), pages 89-107.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rjpaxx:v:76:y:2010:i:1:p:89-107
    DOI: 10.1080/01944360903418338
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    Cited by:

    1. Josef Mitáš & Krzysztof Sas-Nowosielski & Dorota Groffik & Karel Frömel, 2018. "The Safety of the Neighborhood Environment and Physical Activity in Czech and Polish Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, January.
    2. Esther J. Veen & E. Dinand Ekkel & Milan R. Hansma & Anke G. M. de Vrieze, 2020. "Designing Urban Green Space (UGS) to Enhance Health: A Methodology," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-17, July.
    3. Shengchen Yin & Dena Kasraian & Pieter van Wesemael, 2022. "Children and Urban Green Infrastructure in the Digital Age: A Systematic Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-18, May.
    4. Dong-ah Choi & Keunhyun Park & Alessandro Rigolon, 2020. "From XS to XL Urban Nature: Examining Access to Different Types of Green Space Using a ‘Just Sustainabilities’ Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-25, August.
    5. Gary Higgs & Richard Fry & Mitchel Langford, 2012. "Investigating the Implications of Using Alternative GIS-Based Techniques to Measure Accessibility to Green Space," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 39(2), pages 326-343, April.

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