i Towson University Office of Graduate Studies A STUDY OF NATURE PLAY SPACE SUSTAINABILITY IN THE PIEDMONT REGION OF MARYLAND by Victoria Rose Brusaferro A thesis Presented to the faculty of Towson University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Science in the Department of Environmental Science of Towson University Towson, Maryland 21252 (May, 2015) Thesis Committee: Dr. Sarah Haines Dr. Amy Trauth-Nare Dr. Brian Fath ii ii ABSTRACT Most of the United States population lives in urban areas, where heightened anthropogenic activity acts as a source of the majority of greenhouse gases (Hoornweg, 2011). Adaptive ways to deal with regional land management efforts need to be addressed in an effort to combat the effects of spreading urbanization (Roling, 1997). A positive environmental ethic is developed through children’s regular contact with nature, as well as substantial nature-based play (Bunting and Cousins, 1985). This paper proposes targeting the age when children first begin developing their bond with earth to harness a generation of environmentally conscious thinkers that will integrate sustainable practices in their behaviors and careers (Sobel, 1994). The most rapidly urbanizing region of Maryland, the Piedmont, can be studied to discern the present-day perspectives of best sustainable practices for naturalization of outdoor spaces specifically targeted to children ages four to seven years old in that area. ii Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………..vi LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………...vii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................1 1.1 PURPOSE ..................................................................................................................5 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ........................................................................................8 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................10 2.1 EARLY CHILDHOOD AND NATURE .................................................................10 2.1.1 Benefits of getting outside .................................................................................11 2.1.2 Framework for Maryland ..................................................................................12 2.2 MARYLAND PIEDMONTPLATEAU PROVINCE ..............................................15 2.2.1 Overview of attributes .......................................................................................16 2.3 NATURE PLAY SPACES .......................................................................................17 2.3.1 Brief history of the playground..........................................................................18 2.3.2 Maryland resources for outdoor play................................................................20 2.4 SUSTAINABILITY .................................................................................................22 2.4.1 Definition ...........................................................................................................23 2.4.2 Economic ...........................................................................................................25 2.4.3 Development ......................................................................................................27 2.5 USING COUNTIES AS CASE STUDIES ..............................................................30 2.5.1 Cecil ...................................................................................................................32 2.5.2 Carroll ...............................................................................................................33 2.5.3 Baltimore ...........................................................................................................34 2.5.4 Baltimore City ...................................................................................................34 2.5.5 Harford ..............................................................................................................35 2.5.6 Howard ..............................................................................................................35 2.5.7 Frederick ...........................................................................................................36 2.5.8 Anne Arundel .....................................................................................................36 CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS .............................................37 3.1 METHODS ...............................................................................................................37 3.2 CONTEXT ...............................................................................................................38 3.3 CONTEXT WITH SIMILAR STUDIES .................................................................39 iii 3.4 DATA SOURCES ....................................................................................................40 3.4.1 Nature play space surveys .................................................................................41 3.4.2 Nature play space interviews .............................................................................42 3.5 DATA ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................43 CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS ...............................................................................................46 4.1 CHARACTERISTICS .............................................................................................47 4.1.1 Place based ........................................................................................................49 4.1.2 Experiential .......................................................................................................50 4.1.3 Physical location ...............................................................................................51 4.1.4 Legislative support ............................................................................................53 4.1.5 Community involvement ....................................................................................54 4.1.6 Malleability........................................................................................................55 4.1.7 Disconfirming codes ..........................................................................................56 4.2 USES ........................................................................................................................57 4.2.1 Environmental education...................................................................................57 4.2.1 Eco-psychological development ........................................................................58 4.2.1 Community benefit .............................................................................................59 4.2.1 Hindrances ........................................................................................................61 4.2.1 Disconfirming codes ..........................................................................................63 4.3 SUSTAINABILITY .................................................................................................64 4.3.1 Environmental ...................................................................................................65 4.3.2 Economic ...........................................................................................................66 4.3.3 Social .................................................................................................................67 4.3.4 Disconfirming codes ..........................................................................................68 CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION ..........................................................................................70 5.1 FUTURE IMPLICATIONS .....................................................................................83 APPENDIX A .................................................................................................................103 APPENDIX B .................................................................................................................104 APPENDIX C .................................................................................................................106 APPENDIX D .................................................................................................................108 REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................121 CURRICULUM VITA ..................................................................................................127 iv LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. Diagram showing the aggregation of codes into groups with corresponding sub-code………………………………………………………………………………….87 FIGURE 2. Example of process by which research coding was done in order to thematically analyze survey data………………………………………………………...88 FIGURE 3. NASA satellite image of North American city lights……………………....89 FIGURE 4. Maryland land use as reported by the Maryland Department of Planning....90 v LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. Focal research questions of study with data collection techniques and analysis………………………………………………………………………………...…91 TABLE 2. Summary of populations, financial data, and land use of seven Piedmont counties and one Atlantic Coastal Plain province……………………………………..…92 TABLE 3. Summary