Access, Equity, and Urban Greenways: An Exploratory Investigation

Recurring issues in the social sciences concern the distribution of public facilities such as parks and equity of access to them. Geographers have observed that access has perceptual as well as physical dimensions and that perceptions of difference can affect use of public space. This study explores the nature of greenways as public space and a set of issues related to equity of access to greenway trails in Indianapolis, Indiana. The study uses proximity as a measure of access and simple GIS analyses of census and other data to assess equality of access. Evidence is provided that suggests that minorities and the poor have disproportionate access to trails. It is also shown that populations adjacent to the trails differ and that the populations along particular trails are segregated. Spatial differences in trail populations are associated with historic land use patterns and population movements within the city. The implications of the findings of difference for use of the greenways system are explored. Implications for management of the greenways system—including achievement of the goal of linking neighborhoods—are also discussed.

[1]  Jeff Weintraub.  Varieties and Vicissitudes of Public Space , 1995 .

[2]  Emily Talen,et al.  Visualizing Fairness: Equity Maps for Planners , 1998 .

[3]  S. Ruddick,et al.  CONSTRUCTING DIFFERENCE IN PUBLIC SPACES: RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER AS INTERLOCKING SYSTEMS , 1996 .

[4]  J. Dwyer,et al.  The implications of increased racial and ethnic diversity for recreation resource management, planning and research. , 1997 .

[5]  G. Lindsey.  Use of urban greenways: insights from Indianapolis☆ , 1999 .

[6]  D. Scott,et al.  Perceived Constraints to Park Usage Among Individuals With Low Incomes , 1994 .

[7]  Elijah Anderson.  Street Etiquette and Street Wisdom , 1995 .

[8]  L. Anselin,et al.  Assessing Spatial Equity: An Evaluation of Measures of Accessibility to Public Playgrounds , 1998 .

[9]  Michael Walzer,et al.  The pleasures and costs of urbanity , 1986 .

[10]  W. Burch,et al.  The social organization of leisure in human society , 1976 .

[11]  Don Mitchell,et al.  INTRODUCTION: PUBLIC SPACE AND THE CITY , 1996 .

[12]  Lynn A. Staeheli,et al.  Citizenship, Community, and Struggles for Public Space , 1997 .

[13]  S. Shaw,et al.  Do more constraints mean less leisure? Examining the relationship between constraints and participation. , 1991 .

[14]  W. Solecki,et al.  Urban parks: green spaces or green walls? , 1995 .

[15]  J. Figueira-Mcdonough.  : Disorder and Decline: Crime and the Spiral of Decay in American Neighborhoods , 1992 .

[16]  J. Jacobs.  The Death and Life of Great American Cities , 1962 .

[17]  John R. Ottensmann,et al.  Evaluating Equity In Service Delivery In Library Branches , 1994 .

[18]  Blanche Linden-Ward,et al.  GREENWAYS FOR AMERICA , 1992, Landscape Journal.

[19]  Norman D. Kurland,et al.  Of Time, Work, and Leisure , 1963 .

[20]  David Cingranelli.  Race, Politics and Elites: Testing Alternative Models of Municipal Service Distribution , 1981 .

[21]  Paul H. Gobster,et al.  Perception and use of a metropolitan greenway system for recreation , 1995 .

[22]  O. Furuseth,et al.  Who's on the greenway: Socioeconomic, demographic, and locational characteristics of greenway users , 1991 .