Old People in Urban Parks: An Exploratory Investigation

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to examine selected aspects of local park usage by older urban residents. Specifically, the study examined: (1) meaning, motivation, and satisfactions associated with local park usage; (2) logistics of usage such as travel mode, duration of stay, companionship and others; (3) on-site behaviors, moods, attitudes and states of mind; and (4) critiques of the park environment. Data were collected in five large cities—San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, and Boston — which were selected to provide variation in climate, geography and ethnic makeup. An interview schedule was developed and pilot-tested in Philadelphia in March of 1981. Subsequently, 695 personal interviews were conducted with users aged 55 and over in five parks within the five cities. Interviews took place in randomly selected parks which were designed for neighborhood use. Older users were found, to be diverse in demographic characteristics. Park use was found to frequently represent routine behavior in which a wide variety of leisure behavior ocçurred. Park visitation had important perceived benefits for approximately half of all older users.