Visitor and Manager Perceptions of Depreciative Behaviors in Urban Park Settings

Authors

  • Olurominiyi O. Ibitayo
  • Randy J. Virden

Keywords:

Depreciative behaviors, urban parks, beliefs, use history.

Abstract

The purposes of this study were l) to investigate and compare the perceptions of park managers and park visitors about the extent of depreciative behaviors in urban parks and 2) to examine the relationships between frequency of past park use and perceptions of depreciative behaviors and to identify user subgroups whose perceptions are similar to the managers'. The visitor samples were randomly drawn from two urban parks in a large metropolitan area. The park visitors were separated into three homogeneous subgroups based on the frequency of past park use. Statistical analyses indicated that the park managers perceived significantly higher levels of depreciative behaviors than the park visitors. The results also suggest that a relationship exists between frequency of park use and park users' perceptions about the extent of depreciative behaviors. The nature of the relationship is not completely clear.

Published

1996-10-03

Issue

Section

Regular Papers