Browsing by Subject "Parks"
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Item A method for the development of comprehensive plans for state park systems(Texas Tech University, 1963-08) Thompson, Elner HowardThe Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission dealt with much of the study in terms of the traditional levels of government which supply facilities for public recreation, namely the federal, state and local levels. A major recommendation of the Commission was that the state assume a pivotal role in the problem of providing for the impending recreation demand. The report pointed out that the state is in a position to operate on a broader scale geographically and otherwise than is the local or municipal governing body, is sensitive to the needs of its citizens on a broad basis, and is in a position to correlate action and planning with the federal government.Item A method of estimating future acreage needed for state recreation parks(Texas Tech University, 1963-08) Manis, Claude GradyNot availableItem Conversion of Lubbock Municipal Landfill to city park and recreation area(Texas Tech University, 1997-12) Patanathabutr, PatnarinThis research will explore the possibility of a landfill conversion to create a community asset through the development of parks, recreation resources, and open space. Significant issues that relate to this redevelopment are elaborated. It also presents an analysis for all potential suitabilities of redeveloping the Lubbock Landfill as a future recreation area.Item Enabling adult physical activity at parks with a focus on physical design elements(2010-05) Christoph, Ali Suzanne; Sletto, Bjørn; Kohl, Harold W.This report studies the built environment of Civitan Park, located in Austin, Texas. Through studying and observing how park design can influence adults’ ability to engage in daily physical activity, alternative design recommendations are suggested for Civitan Park in order to create a park more able to be used by adults for physical activity and in turn, decrease obesity rates.Item An evaluation of potential benefits from the redevelopment of landfills into parks in Houston, Texas(2006-05) Taylor, Michael Lawrence; Parmenter, Barbara M., 1958-This report examines the potential benefits from the redevelopment of landfills into parks in Houston, Texas. Many Park and Recreation (P&R) Departments are unable to acquire and develop parkland at a rate on par with new residential construction. Parks provide economic, environmental, public health and aesthetic benefits. Despite these benefits, P&R Departments are often the target of budget cuts when city governments grapple with funding shortfalls. P&R Departments must pursue low value lands to meet parkland needs. Closed Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfills are a source of low value land in, and surrounding urban areas. New regulatory framework in the form of the U.S. EPA’s Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Criteria ensures closed landfills may be safely and cost effectively redeveloped for recreational use with limited liability concerns for the P&R Department. This regulatory framework is discussed and Best Management Practices (BMPs) are outlined. These BMPs focus on accommodating the dynamic nature of landfills to minimize park development and Operation and Maintenance (O&M) costs. The substantial parkland deficit in the City of Houston is quantified. The findings of the needs assessment in the City’s Parks Master Plan are presented. A multi-tiered Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based analysis is utilized to evaluate the potential benefits from the redevelopment of existing landfills in the City into parks. The GIS analysis identified 8 landfills that, if redeveloped, will increase the distributional equity of City parkland holdings. Of these 8, the 4 landfills with the lowest expected total development costs and the highest expected savings over traditional greenfield development were identified. It is recommended the City adopt a thorough site characterization and planning process and pursue landfill redevelopment as a cost effective and beneficial way to increase parkland holdings.Item Interpreting how we value parks through photographs from social media : a case study of Zilker Park in Austin, Texas(2016-05) Osborne, Lauren Rose; Sletto, Bjørn; Paterson, RobertAs social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have grown and evolved, users of these internet technologies have deposited a wealth of diverse data with the potential to inform research on a wide range of topics. In particular, the sharing of photographs of outdoor spaces through social media platforms provides important opportunities for analysis of meaning and significance, especially in terms of how planned landscapes such as public parks are perceived and socially produced. In this study, I chose to analyze photographs of Zilker Park posted on Instagram and Twitter in order to better understand how users value this important park in Austin, Texas. This report presents the content, quantitative, and qualitative analyses I conducted in order to develop a concise understanding of elements that people value most in Zilker Park. Through my research and methodological exploration, I seek to offer a new tool for public participation in park planning that can augment existing engagement methods.Item Learning from Texas wildfires : Bastrop State Park and beyond(2013-05) Tworek-Hofstette, Miriam; Holleran, Michael; Gale, Frances R.This thesis is part of work completed for a National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) grant awarded in May 2012 to Texas Parks and Wildlife partnering with University of Texas, Austin (UT) Office of Sponsored Project and UT alumna Casey Gallagher. The purpose of the grant was to provide Bastrop State Park (BSP), following the 2011 Bastrop Complex Wildfire, with information on assessing fire-damaged park structures and guidance on preparing structures for future wildfires. The following chapters cover the historical background of the park and its structures, a brief account of the fire event, physical analysis of burned park structures, and a two part discussion on preparedness. The first preparedness chapter speaks generally on integration of cultural resource professionals in emergency planning and recovery at state, national and international levels, while the second discusses new options for fire prevention at BSP including defensible space, fire retardants, and alternative materials.Item Link park access with obesity risk reduction : case study of Austin, Texas(2016-08) Gentles, Coleen Elaine; Zhang, Ming, 1963 April 22-Previous research has determined that public transportation options are severely limited in certain neighborhoods. These so-called “transit deserts” prevent many residents from relying on public transportation to get to and from home and work. But is access to public parks any better? As cities continue to reinvest in their public parks, residents will be motivated to visit them, so long as all modes of transportation are available: walking, bicycling, driving, and bus routes/rail lines for public transportation. And if the bus routes and rail lines ran frequently with actual stops near the parks, that would be even better. This project examined the overlay of mean childhood obesity scores and Austin city parks data, including distance from bus stops to park centers using GIS, correlation and regression methods. The park amenity data was multiplied by a standard MET (metabolic equivalent) value. Maps were created to spatially show the relationships between city parks, transit routes, and obesity scores in block groups. The results revealed that Austin city parks and bus routes are spread throughout the city. The outskirts of Austin lack public parks but the bus routes extend further than the city park system. But only 61% of Austin city parks are reached within a quarter-mile bus stop service area. The obesity data revealed a wide range in mean childhood obesity levels, from 7% in West Austin to 47% in East Austin. Sixteen neighborhood parks are located within a quarter-mile bus stop service area and high childhood obesity block groups. There is, however, no correlation between block group obesity scores, distance from bus stops to neighborhood parks, park amenity scores, and park acreage. Although the data does not show a correlation between the presence of neighborhood park amenities and estimated obesity rates for children, peer reviewed studies have made this connection. Even though the statistical analysis does not show that park access by transit explains childhood obesity prevalence, park access does matter, and policy makers should pay attention to more than just park amenities. Improving access to parks may increase use, thus reducing childhood obesity trends in the long term.Item Mobile home park redevelopment & the loss of unsubsidized affordable housing : transit planning & endangered parks in the City of Austin(2010-05) Turner, Sandra Lynn; Dooling, SarahThis report is intended to shed light on mobile home parks as valuable contributors to the affordable housing stock throughout the United States, as well as in Austin, Texas. In many areas of the country, mobile home park losses to redevelopment have already been proven as problematic. While Austin has not experienced excessive park loss as of yet, as planning initiatives and development trends continue to effect property values, some of Austin’s mobile home parks may be at risk of redevelopment, which leaves the already vulnerable, and typically low-income residents at risk of losing homes and social networks. This paper evaluates current planning pressures in Austin, most specifically the addition of new rail routes, as having the potential to the affect property values of certain mobile home parks; therefore putting them at risk of redevelopment. Recommendations for protection and support of these parks are offered at the local and state level.Item Park land acquisition and open space preservation(Texas Tech University, 1966-05) Kamp, Billy DanielNot availableItem Planning Barrier-Free Architecture for Recreation(Texas Tech University, 1973-12) White, James E.Not Available.Item Planning barrier-free architecture for recreation(Texas Tech University, 1973-05) White, James E.Not availableItem Planning barrier-free architecture for recreation(1973-12) White, James E.Item Recreation potential of the wildlife management areas of Texas(Texas Tech University, 1970-12) Winstead, Leonard GordonIn 1965 the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department published its first comprehensive outdoor recreation plan. This initial step toward a well-rounded system of recreation facilities was an important starting point toward future development. Even a cursory examination of this document revealed that facilities which existed in the state were not sufficient to carry future demands for recreation and were in some respects insufficient for demands at that time. Few will argue that new and different facilities are necessary, but-—the costs of developing such are the greatest barriers to improved service to the citizens of the state. In order to explore and improve all aspects of our recreation development, it may be necessary to reevaluate our existing facilities for possible new uses.Item The Conversion of Abandoned Railroad Rights of Way For Linear Parks and Trails(Texas Tech University, 1977-05) Henson, Randall DNot Available.Item The Effect of Parks on Proximate Home Values in College Station, Texas(2012-07-16) Cooksey, Steven PatrickParks provide a multitude of benefits to communities that, while intuitive and easy to describe, are difficult to quantify. With public park departments being increasingly scrutinized in terms of dollars spent rather than merit value contributed to communities, the difficulty in quantifying those benefits presents a problem. Finding a method to apply monetary values to the contributions of parks in a community has become a prominent need for public parks departments. One way to measure the monetary value of parks to a community is by examining the effects of those parks on the values of surrounding properties. This method assumes that the benefits offered by parks are capitalized into home prices such that prospective buyers are willing to pay premiums on properties that offer easy access to the parks and their benefits. This study utilizes hedonic price modeling and multiple regression analyses to isolate the incremental value conferred on a home based on its proximity to a park. Parks were separated into three categories (regional, community, and neighborhood). Their spatial proximity to homes was measured by Geographic Information Systems and included in regressions along with structural, time, and neighborhood variables for each property. A golf course was also examined so that its effect on proximate home values could be compared to that of the parks. Results suggested the most substantial impact of parks on home values was caused by the regional nature park, followed by the community parks. Neighborhood parks in the aggregate yielded no significant results. Even when these data were disaggregated so parks which had positive and negative influences were analyzed independently, there were no significant results. However, there was some suggestion that positive influences were associated with higher income level and a lower proportion of rental homes in an area. The golf course showed higher premiums than any of the parks, however, homes which were in the overlap of the influence zones of the regional park and golf course had the highest premiums, suggesting a compounding effect.Item The status of training in state park systems and recommendations for improvement(Texas Tech University, 1971-08) Craig, Darrell B.This is a study to investigate the planning, implementation, and benefits of in-service training and development programs for state park systems of the United States. Before recommendations for further research or guidelines for the planning and implementation of training programs can be offered, a thorough analysis of the "state of the art" must be presented.Item The Texas state parks system: an administrative history, 1923-1984(Texas Tech University, 1995-08) Toney, Sharon MorrisBroadly speaking state parks are areas of public land designed to provide recreation in natural settings. In Texas today they are the mainstay of public recreation. Texas boasts 136 state parks, encompassing more than 500,000 acres of land, and over 26 million people visit Texas's state parks each year. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department administers the Texas state parks system, which grew from a national movement to set aside public lands as recreation areas.Item The utilization of public open space along highways: guidelines for the development of roadside parks(Texas Tech University, 1969-05) Morley, John ArthurNot available