Whitewater Park Design Principles: An Integrated Approach for Multiple User Groups by Byron Lester A Thesis presented to The University of Guelph In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Landscape Architecture Guelph, Ontario, Canada © Byron Lester, May, 2012 ABSTRACT WHITEWATER PARK DESIGN PRINCIPLES: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH FOR MULTIPLE USER GROUPS Byron Lester Advisor: University of Guelph, 2012 Professor Sean Kelly Existing whitewater courses have several design issues relating to their ability to balance expert, novice recreational, and commercial use. The goal of this study is to establish a better understanding of whitewater park design that incorporates the needs of multiple user groups in one integrated approach. Through elite interviewing whitewater park design was investigated and the data was analyzed identifying seven design principles and thirty seven detailed design recommendations. These design principles and recommendations were applied to create a preliminary conceptual design of a whitewater park. The design recommendations and conceptual design were evaluated by a professional whitewater course designer. The evaluation revealed that adaptability is an important principle in whitewater park design and that design recommendations must be flexible to allow for client input and site constraints. This research expands our knowledge of multifunctional design of whitewater parks that resolves user conflicts and important functional relationships. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I offer my deepest gratitude to my advisor Sean Kelly for his expertise and guidance in developing my thesis, while allowing me the freedom to work in my own way. I would like to thank Lise Burcher for her support and assistance as my committee member. I would also like to thank Dr. Robert Corry for chairing my defense and providing insightful comments and questions. I would like to thank and express my deepest gratitude to Dirk Van Wijk, James Cartwright, Doug Corkery, and Wayne Donison for taking the time to share their expertise and professional experiences. I would also like to express my gratitude to Scott Shipley for evaluating my research, sharing his professional expertise, and providing insightful comments. I would like to thank my friends and classmates for answering those annoying questions, sharing pints, and making my time in Guelph a joy. Special thanks to Mark Harrison and Nick Assad for providing constant support, motivation, and laughs over the years. Finally, I would like to thank and express my deepest love and appreciation to my partner Kathy for her support and understanding throughout our time together. Thanks for putting up with the late nights, time apart, and the occasional ‘complaints’ about school. Without her support and advice I would still be struggling with deciding on a research topic. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................vi LIST OF FIGURES..............................................................................................................................vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................1 1.1 STUDY OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................................1 1.2 THE PROBLEM .......................................................................................................................................2 1.3 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................................................3 1.4 ASSUMPTIONS........................................................................................................................................4 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................5 2.1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................5 2.2 WHITEWATER PARKS ............................................................................................................................5 2.3 RIVER FEATURES...................................................................................................................................8 2.4 BASIC MECHANICS OF MOVING WATER..............................................................................................14 2.5 WHITEWATER RATING SCALE .............................................................................................................19 2.6 WHITEWATER RECREATION ................................................................................................................20 2.7 ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF WHITEWATER RECREATION .........................................................................30 2.8 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................31 CHAPTER THREE: METHODS..............................................................................................................32 3.1 RESEARCH STRATEGY: THEORETICAL APPROACH...............................................................................32 3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN ..............................................................................................................................33 3.3 DATA ANALYSIS/RESPONSE INTERPRETATION ....................................................................................38 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS...................................................................................................................41 4.1 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................41 4.2 ELITE INFORMANT INTERVIEWS ..........................................................................................................41 v 4.3 DESIGN PRINCIPLES DEVELOPMENT ....................................................................................................55 4.4 DESIGN PRINCIPLES IMPLEMENTATION ...............................................................................................58 4.5 DESIGN PRINCIPLES EVALUATION .......................................................................................................63 4.6 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................65 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION.........................................................................66 5.1 MAJOR FINDINGS.................................................................................................................................66 5.2 LIMITATIONS .......................................................................................................................................69 5.3 FUTURE RESEARCH .............................................................................................................................70 5.4 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................72 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................74 APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY OF WHITEWATER TERMS...................................................................78 APPENDIX B: TABLE OF WHITEWATER PARKS............................................................................81 APPENDIX C: DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................85 APPENDIX D: CHAUDIÈRE ISLAND PROPERTY OWNERSHIP ...................................................93 APPENDIX E: CHAUDIÈRE ISLAND CONCEPTUAL WHITEWATER PARK DESIGN.............95 APPENDIX F: DESIGN PRINCIPLES EVALUATION FORMS.........................................................96 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Summary of the World’s Whitewater Courses................................................... 7 Table 2.2 Whitewater Rating Scale .................................................................................. 19 Table 2.3 Kayak Terminology .......................................................................................... 21 Table 2.4 Canoe Terminology .......................................................................................... 24 Table 4.1 Design Principles Summary Table ................................................................... 57 Table 4.2 Average Flow Rate ........................................................................................... 59 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Hydraulic Features: Waves / Holes ................................................................. 10 Figure 2.2 Falls ................................................................................................................. 11 Figure 2.3 Typical surge ................................................................................................... 12 Figure 2.4 In stream and bank eddy.................................................................................. 13 Figure 2.5