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Community Engagement as Input to the Design of the Environmental Center at Frick Park and Beyond Tamara Dubowitz, Kristy Gonzalez Morganti, Rachel M. Burns, Marla C. Haims Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy HEALTH This work was sponsored by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. The research was conducted in RAND Health, a unit of the RAND Corporation. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R® is a registered trademark. © Copyright 2011 RAND Corporation Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited. RAND documents are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND permissions page (http://www.rand.org/publications/ permissions.html). Published 2011 by the RAND Corporation 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050 4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2665 RAND URL: http://www.rand.org To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451-7002; Fax: (310) 451-6915; Email: [email protected] Preface This report describes park use among underserved residents living near Frick Park in Pitts- burgh, Pennsylvania. The report examines barriers to park use, residents’ level of awareness of and interest in environmental issues, and the importance residents place on environmental education and programs. The result of a new research project sponsored by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, this report provides recommendations to address the barriers and issues identified in research commissioned by the Parks Conservancy in 2011. The analysis is based on community focus groups and brief informal interviews with local residents. This report should be of particular interest to the City of Pittsburgh, the Pitts- burgh Parks Conservancy, the Environmental Center at Frick Park, and any other community groups or organizations (including other parks conservancies) that are interested in the needs of underserved populations and children, especially in regard to these groups’ engagement in park use. This work was sponsored by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. The research was con- ducted in RAND Health, a division of the RAND Corporation. A profile of RAND Health, abstracts of its publications, and ordering information can be found at www.rand.org/health. iii Contents Preface ........................................................................................................... iii Figures and Tables .............................................................................................vii Summary ........................................................................................................ ix Acknowledgments ............................................................................................xiii CHAPTER ONE Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Background: The Role of Parks and Outdoor Spaces in Pennsylvania .................................... 2 The Current Leisure Time Pursuits of Americans ........................................................... 3 The Purpose of This Research .................................................................................. 4 Methods ........................................................................................................... 5 Community Focus Groups ................................................................................... 5 Brief Informal Interviews ..................................................................................... 6 Sample Description ............................................................................................ 6 CHAPTER TWO Key Findings ..................................................................................................... 9 Level and Type of Park Use Among Residents Living Near the Park ...................................... 9 Most Individuals Use the Park Closest to Home .......................................................... 9 As Expected, Focus Group Participants Used Frick Park Infrequently, While Interviewees Reported Higher Levels of Use .......................................................................... 9 The Most Popular Activities at Frick Park Were Using Playgrounds and Walking or Running ..... 9 Participants Reported Using Multiple Means to Learn About Activities at Frick Park ..............10 Barriers to Park Use .............................................................................................12 Distance, Transportation, and Parking Were the Top Barriers to Using Frick Park ..................12 Some Participants Reported That Park Activities Did Not Fit Their Interests ........................13 Some Participants Did Not Feel Comfortable in Frick Park ............................................13 A Few Participants Mentioned Safety Concerns ..........................................................14 Findings Related to the Environmental Center at Frick Park .............................................14 Participant Interest in ECFP Activities Was Strong ......................................................14 Participants Indicated That They Would Be Interested in a Wide Range of Activities ...............15 Participants Indicated That the ECFP Could Do More to Reach Out to Youth .....................15 A Majority of Participants Reported Barriers to Using the ECFP ......................................16 v vi Community Engagement as Input to the Design of the Environmental Center at Frick Park and Beyond Level of Awareness of and Interest in Environmental Issues and Environmental Education and Programs ....................................................................................................17 A Majority of Interviewees Said Environmental Education Was Very Important ....................17 Most Interviewees Said That Environmental Education Is Important in Their Community .......17 Summary of Findings...........................................................................................18 CHAPTER THREE Conclusions and Recommendations .......................................................................19 Conclusions ......................................................................................................19 The Mere Existence of a Park Is Insufficient to Attract Users ...........................................19 Participants Living Near Frick Park Expressed a Strong Interest in Environmental Education, But They Want to Feel Welcome to Participate ......................................................19 Promotional Efforts That Can Effectively Compete with Media Will Be Necessary to Increase Attendance at Local Parks ............................................................................. 20 Recommendations ............................................................................................. 20 Awareness ..................................................................................................... 20 Alignment with Interests .....................................................................................21 Distance, Transportation, and Parking ................................................................... 22 Scheduling and Child Care ................................................................................