A Statistical Study of Attendance at Urban Playgrounds

Abstract

In the past, much of the planning for urban recreation facilities has been based on “rules of thumb” and various recreation standards. This process has in many cases resulted in a misallocation of resources and an unequal distribution of facilities. In order to make more intelligent planning decisions, more information concerning the urban recreation system is necessary. The purpose of this study was to obtain such information on a segment of the recreation system—urban playgrounds—by (1) gathering user data on playgrounds in a city, (2) developing demand equations, and (3) analyzing the demand equations and the user data. It can be concluded that this type of analysis can provide useful information for future recreation planning in an urban area.