Young people: being apart, together in an urban park

Aalst, Irina van; Brands, Jelle

doi:10.1080/17549175.2020.1737181

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Previous qualitative research has found that while the presence of other people attracts adolescents to visit urban parks, minimal interaction between different user groups was often reported, and most adolescents kept to their social groups [ 69 ]. This suggests that co-presence with other user groups may not translate into meaningful contact, which may have been the case in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outdoor public recreation spaces and social connectedness among adolescents

et al. 2022

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Background Outdoor public recreation spaces are important settings for leisure and physical activity. Adolescents’ use of these spaces may contribute to social connectedness via social interaction with peers and the community in these settings. However, research on this topic is limited. This exploratory study examined associations of frequency of visitation and physical activity in outdoor public recreation spaces with social connectedness among adolescents in Melbourne, Australia. Methods Adolescents self-reported their frequency of visitation to parks, trails, beach/lake, and sports facilities; frequency of physical activity in a park, local street or path, and their street; and social connectedness. Separate analyses were conducted for visitation (n = 349, 15.4 ± 1.6 years, 58% female) and physical activity (n = 441, 15.4 ± 1.6 years, 59% female) using multilevel linear regression models. Results No significant associations were observed for frequency of visitation to a park (B = 0.86, 95% CI = − 0.26, 1.99), trails (B = 0.41, 95% CI = − 0.61, 1.44), beach/lake (B = − 0.44, 95% CI = − 1.46, 0.57), or sports facilities (B = 0.64, 95% CI = − 0.43, 1.70), nor for frequency of physical activity in their street (B = − 0.07, 95% CI = − 0.46, 0.31), local street/path (B = − 0.05, 95% CI = − 0.43, 0.33) or in a park (B = 0.23, 95% CI = − 0.14, 0.60) with adolescents’ social connectedness. Conclusions The findings did not support the hypothesis that visiting and being active in outdoor public recreation spaces are associated with adolescents’ social connectedness. Future research should consider the duration and context of outdoor public recreation space use (e.g., sports, socialising, relaxing alone) and whether different types and/or a combination of public spaces are more/less conducive to social connectedness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outdoor public recreation spaces and social connectedness among adolescents

et al. 2022

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“…Previous qualitative research has found that while the presence of other people attracts adolescents to visit urban parks, minimal interaction between different user groups was often reported (51). This suggests that co-presence with other user groups may not translate into meaningful contact, which may have been the case in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Outdoor Public Recreation Spaces And Social Connectedness Among Adolescents

Rivera¹,

Veitch²,

Loh³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Outdoor public recreation spaces are important settings for leisure and physical activity. Adolescents’ use of these spaces may be related to their social connectedness; however, research on this topic is limited. This study examined associations of frequency of visitation and physical activity in outdoor public recreation spaces with social connectedness among adolescents in Melbourne, Australia. Methods: Adolescents self-reported their frequency of visitation to parks, trails, beach/lake, and sports facilities; frequency of physical activity in a park, local street or path, and their street; and social connectedness. Separate analyses were conducted for visitation (n=349, 15.4±1.6 years, 58% female) and physical activity (n=441, 15.4±1.6 years, 59% female) using multilevel linear regression models. Results: No significant associations were observed for frequency of visitation to a park (B = 0.86, 95% CI= -0.26, 1.99), trails (B = 0.41, 95% CI= -0.61, 1.44), beach/lake (B = -0.44, 95% CI= -1.46, 0.57), or sports facilities (B =0.64, 95% CI= -0.43, 1.70), nor for frequency of physical activity in their street (B = -0.07, 95% CI= -0.46, 0.31), local streets/paths (B = -0.05, 95% CI= -0.43, 0.33) or in parks (B = 0.23, 95% CI= -0.14, 0.60) with adolescents’ social connectedness. Conclusions: The findings did not support the hypothesis that visiting and being active in outdoor public recreation spaces are associated with adolescents’ social connectedness. Future research should consider the duration and context of outdoor public recreation space use (e.g., sports, socialising, relaxing alone) and whether different types and/or a combination of public spaces are more/less conducive to social connectedness.

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“…Finally, our research underscores that the health benefits of urban green spaces in low-income neighborhoods can only be realized when struggles over the social meanings of green spaces are taken seriously. Building on literature on the role of parks in stimulating contact between different (ethnic) groups, we found that although multilayered park narratives can be competitive, they are neither immutable nor mutually exclusive [ 31 , 32 , 44 ]. By fostering palpable experiences of being away, and by enabling interactions between strangers, citizen park interventions such as those described in our research can contribute to the transformation of low-income neighborhoods from places of decay to spaces of hope.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Like squares and streets, parks form an important part of the city’s public realm, which offers a setting for genuine and profound interaction [ 29 ]. In line with the urbanist idea of “the city as a stage” or “theater of social action,” recent studies have revealed parks to be popular sites for public realm interactions like play, public sociability, and people watching [ 30 – 32 ]. To public realm theorists, parks can provide a salutary and open environment for interactions between strangers and thereby foster experiences of equality and tolerance [ 33 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clean Spaces, Community Building, and Urban Stage: the Coproduction of Health and Parks in Low-Income Neighborhoods

2022

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Green zones are potential contributors to health by mitigating disparities between low- and high-income neighborhoods. Against the background of different discourses about city parks—parks as restorative environments, parks as enabling places, and parks as sites for encounters between strangers—we ethnographically studied the coproduction of green spaces and health within low-income neighborhoods. We found three competing notions of urban green, each tied to different notions of neighborhood well-being. Parks as “clean spaces” create expectations of order and peace; parks as places of the community are related to play and activities; and parks as urban stage foster interactions between strangers. By generating experiences that encompass different conceptions of health, citizen-led events can contribute to a shift in the understanding of parks as sites of neighborhood decline to parks as places of hope and new beginnings.

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Young people: being apart, together in an urban park

Cited by 16 publications

References 32 publications

Outdoor public recreation spaces and social connectedness among adolescents

Outdoor public recreation spaces and social connectedness among adolescents

Outdoor Public Recreation Spaces And Social Connectedness Among Adolescents

Clean Spaces, Community Building, and Urban Stage: the Coproduction of Health and Parks in Low-Income Neighborhoods

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