YOUR MISSION

SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT…

• Engage Urban Audiences!!!• Get them outside

enjoying & appreciating Nature• Obtain their Support

For more information on this presentation contact:Michael Kirschman, Deputy Director, Mecklenburg County Park & RecreationMichael.Kirschman@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov Office (704) 336-8798

S t a r r i n g Y O U ! ! !

NOW

• What is urban?• Characteristics of “urbanites”• Urbanite myths• Reality & the Data• What we should be doing• Current Initiatives

Engaging Urban Audiences

What is Urban?

• Related or belonging to a city, living in a city• Vast infrastructure compared to surrounding areas• 3-4 generations removed from farming• Higher population density• U.S. Census Bureau defines urban area as: Core census block

group with pop. density of at least 1,000 people per sq mile and surrounding census blocks that have an overall density of at least 500 people per sq mile.

• 82% of US population lives in urbanized area as of Dec. 2010. These areas occupy about 2% of the US. Majority of urban residents are suburbanites; core central city residents make up about 30% of the urbanized area population (60 of 210 million).

What is Urban?

Charlotte 2,457 sq. mile

Raleigh 2,826Chapel Hill 2,710 Greenville 2,443Carolina Beach 2,315Greensboro 2,131Durham 2,126Asheville 1,855Winston-Salem 1,733Gastonia 1,420Asheboro 1,349Hickory 1,346Concord 1,311Albemarle 946Morganton 883

NC Cities Population Densities (2010 Census)

Characteristics of Urbanites

• Surrounded by diversity - live in “melting pot”• Wide range of ideas, interests, backgrounds, etc.• Generally fast paced lifestyle• Utilize public transportation and/or walk more • Tend to live in condo or apartments more• More liberal in value/beliefs/political orientation

2012 Presidential

Election Results

Bus/Subway Usage:NYC 55%, DC 37%,

Chicago 25%, Charlotte 3.6%

Apartment Living:NYC 50%

DC & LA 42%, Boston & Seattle 35%,

Charlotte 24%

Urbanite Myths

• Don’t care about nature• Don’t want to experience/be in nature• Won’t come to nature-based or EE programs• Won’t support a nature center (financially, politically, or with their time)

• Think “nature” is outside the city – somewhere you drive to• Too busy to visit a nature center or attend programs• “Hard” audience to program for

Central Park, NYC 1859

Boston Commons 1640

Grant Park, Chicago 1901

Fairmont Park, Philadelphia 1855

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs 1909

Balboa Park, San Diego 1868

Golden Gate ParkSan Francisco 1868

The Data

• Urbanites care about nature – perhaps more….?• Urbanites want to experience/be in nature• Urbanites attend nature-based and EE programs• Urbanites want nature-based and EE programs• Will support a nature center• View nature as the park on the corner• Easy audience!

The Data

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

100000

FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12

From FY06-12 visitation increased 147%. Average increase of 16% per year for past 6 years.

Per Census Bureau, county population grew 32% from 2000-2010 (695,454 to 919,628)

Mecklenburg County Nature Center

Visitation

The Data – Mecklenburg Random SurveyMecklenburg County

Facility / Amenity Needs Assessment

Overall

Ranking

Walking and biking trails 1

Small (2-10 acres) neighborhood parks 2

Nature center and trails 3

Large community parks and district parks 4

Indoor fitness and exercise facilities 5

Playground equipment and play areas 6

Indoor swimming pools/leisure pool 7

Indoor running/walking track 8

Community gardens 9

Outdoor swimming and spraygrounds 10

Park shelters and picnic areas 11

Small (less than 2 acres) pocket parks 12

Mountain bike trails 13

Outdoor tennis courts 14

Off-leash dog park 15

Outdoor amphitheaters 16

Youth/teen soccer fields 17

Golf courses 18

Outdoor basketball courts 19

Indoor basketball/volleyball courts 20

Indoor shelters 21

Youth/teen baseball and softball fields 22

Boating and sailing areas/sailing center 23

Youth/teen football fields 24

Adult softball fields 25

Skateboard Park 26

Adult soccer fields 27

Soapbox Derby track 28

The Data – Mecklenburg Random Survey

MCPR Survey results by race – minorities want open space and access to nature.

Major network of walking, biking and nature trails VERY IMPORTANTBlack 59% White 68% Other (includes Hispanic) 70%

Which programs are most important to your household response NATURE EDUCATION PROGRAMSBlack 6% White 18% Other 13%

Purchasing Land – purchase land to protect the environment response VERY SUPPORTIVEBlack 19% White 28% Other 33%

Develop new nature trails and nature centers response VERY SUPPORTIVEBlack 39% White 47% Other 46%

Actions most willing to fund with tax dollars Purchase Land to preserve open space and green space VERY SUPPORTIVE

Black 21% White 55% Other 34%

Purchase land for developing athletic fields & facilities VERY SUPPORTIVEBlack 14% White 13% Other 12%

The Data – Mecklenburg Random Survey

MCPR Survey Results by Geographic RegionGuess what? Urban residents want access to nature and nature programs even more!!!

Importance of network of walking, biking, and nature trails? Very ImportantNorth 62% South 63% Central 72%

Reasons why you use facilities? Enjoyment of the outdoorsNorth 55% South 57% Central 73%

Importance of environmental protection? Very ImportantNorth 73% South 75% Central 81%

Have a need for Nature Center & Trails? YesNorth 59% South 61% Central 65%

Have a need for Nature Education Programs? YesNorth 36% South 37% Central 37%(results higher than: art, dance, sr. programs, gymnastics, golf, life skills, preschool and after school programs, summer camps, teen sports, martial arts, tennis instruction, etc.)

Virtually every P&R mission statement includes as part of their core purpose to acquire land for parks and to protect the natural and cultural resources of a community. The core services provided by park and recreation agencies promote individual, social, and environmental health in their communities. At the heart, the mission of every P&R agency includes the goal to promote conservation—of land, resources, and the environment. BUT:

An NRPA survey of 1,900 parks agencies (430 responding) in 2007 showed that nearly 30% had NO natural area parks and NO nature-based educational programming.

One of the most frequently cited gaps is the lack of training and professional development for parks and recreation agency staff.

There are significant gaps in conservation knowledge within parks and recreation.

There is a gap in knowledge on how to create strategic partnerships for conservation, especially partnerships with organizations that have knowledge, infrastructure, or funding to partner to help parks providers.

The Data – NRPA Survey

Overview of Results - Study of American adults’ attitudes towards children’s experiences in nature (Feb. 2010).

• American adults generally believe that childhood experiences in nature are important, and very strongly support the claim that they personally intend to support children in having these experiences.

• Adults generally believe that all nature experiences benefit children, tend to believe more strongly in the contribution of nature experiences to physical development, socialization, & nature appreciation than the contribution to mental & emotional well‐being.

• Adults very strongly support children’s experiences with nature but have great concern over the safety of children in certain environments. (esp. areas described as woods, waterways such as creeks and ponds, or open fields and hills). Concerns limit willingness to allow children to participate in unsupervised play or free exploration even if the adults had these experiences when they were children.

• Adults are willing to make the effort to encourage children to have nature experiences in spite of the perceived risk of injury to these children, but do not appear to model these behaviors.

• Parents with children in their home more likely to support beliefs associated with encouraging nature experiences.

• Minority communities, including African American, Latino and Asian/Pacific Islander, rate the importance of nature experiences for their children at a lower level than Caucasian/White Americans, but there is still general agreement that these experiences are a necessary part of child development. American Indian/First Nations peoples support more strongly.

• Adults with higher incomes & levels of academic achievement more likely to agree more strongly that nature experiences are important for children.

• Helping adults learn that their mentoring activities, such as personal storytelling about their positive nature experiences as children, may increase the likelihood that children will desire to have nature experiences.

• Because adults are extremely concerned about the risks to children associated with free‐flowing streams, woods, mountains andwild nature, a two‐pronged approach around talking about the value of nature experiences is advised. The first prong might address the value of free‐play in green spaces and planned nature places to increase adults’ support for children’s nature contact. A secondary effort focusing on the safety of accompanied experiences to more wild nature areas may be more acceptable .

http://www.childrenandnature.org/downloads/EC-NES_Final_Report_2010.pdf

The Data – National Survey

What Should We Be Doing?

Removing BarriersResearch shows the greatest roadblocks affecting children’sdisconnect from nature and opportunity to play in natural areas outdoors are: access and proximity; safety; family recognition of the importance of nature play; and community support.

Initiatives - Local

• Nature Play Areas• At-risk youth and urban youth targeted programming• Partnerships with Recreation Centers, CMS/schools, etc.• Strategic Land Acquisition and “GreenPrinting”• Zones & policies on park and nature preserve development• Natural areas protection and management

Example

GreenPrint

map for

Nature Preserves

Initiatives - Local

Nature Explorer Zone

Initiatives - Local

Targeted At-risk Youth Programs

Initiatives - Local

Go PLAY Festival

Fairy House Festival

Initiatives - Local

Moth Nights

Initiatives - Local

Coyote Study

Cicada Watch

Initiatives - LocalCentral Carolina’s Master Naturalist Program

• Nature-Deficit Disorder moves into the public vernacular

• No Child Left Inside Act introduced in 2009 (HB 2054 & SB 866 )

• Physicians are recommending time in nature for children’s healthy development

• Increasing research and articles on the benefits of nature & play

• National parks and state parks launch campaigns to connect families to nature; visits grow

• Sesame Street changes its set for the first time in 40 years—to include nature!

• Nature-focused preschools, other nature-themed schools, and school gardens are growing

• White House launches America’s Great Outdoors Campaign

• First Lady creates “Let’s Move,” including “Let’s Move Outside!”

• Across North America and now in Europe and Australia,

families banding together to create family nature clubs

• Children and Nature Network Nature Toolkits – “Let’s Go”

• 10 Million Kids Outdoor Initiative (NWF & NRPA)

• NFL Play60

Initiatives – State & National

• Know the facts - arm yourself with data.

• Make informed decision regardingprograms, activities and facilities.

• Provide safe access to nature.

• Get the kids (and adults) outdoors!!!!

• Get them away from “screens”!!! (they get enough!)

• Educate parents on value of NATURE & outdoor PLAY

• Tackle fears, overcome challenges, make it happen! (start a garden, a nature club, a nature play area, go to the neighborhoods without services, forge new partnerships, etc.)

Our Role as Professionals

THERE’S NO APP

FOR THIS

4 MILE CREEK GREENWAY

MECKLENBURG COUNTY PARK AND RECREATION

Michael Kirschman, Deputy DirectorMecklenburg County Park & Recreation Department

5841 Brookshire Blvd., Charlotte NC 28216(704) 336-8798

Michael.Kirschman@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov