Access to Parks
\r\nUnderstanding how accessible parks and\r\n recreation amenities are for Southeast Michigan\r\n residents can help communities prioritize\r\n improvements that serve more people. To better\r\n understand access to parks in Southeast\r\n Michigan, an analysis was conducted by\r\n measuring travel times between the region’s\r\n parks and households across four modes of\r\n transportation – driving, biking, walking, and\r\n riding transit. This builds on the findings of\r\n SEMCOG’s Access\r\n to Core Services in Southeast Michigan report adopted in 2016, by applying\r\n updated park data and providing an additional\r\n level of analysis for specific park amenities.
\r\nMethodology
\r\nReasonable transportation modes and travel times\r\n to different types of parks were established with\r\n input from the Parks and Recreation Task Force.\r\n These specify different measures for recreational\r\n amenities that serve as community assets, as\r\n regional destinations, or as both. For each\r\n amenity, accessibility was measured across five\r\n “focus populations” – all households, households\r\n with children, households with seniors,\r\n households in poverty, and transit-dependent\r\n households (data as of 2015).
\r\nFor parks greater than six acres in size, all points\r\n of entry for walking, biking, and driving were\r\n used to measure their accessibility.\r\n
\r\nHowever, as this analysis represents\r\n transportation access to all of the region’s parks,\r\n it is important to note that they do not capture\r\n other local conditions that may be barriers to park\r\n access, such as crime or safety concerns, lower\r\n tree canopy or a lack of pleasant surroundings,\r\n and poorly maintained sidewalks or\r\n infrastructure. Therefore, to apply this analysis in\r\n local decision-making, it is important to consider\r\n the local context for these limitations.
\r\n\r\n More information about Parks and\r\n Recreation\r\n \r\n Parks and Recreation Plan \r\n \r\n