A Study of the Park and Recreation Problem of the United States

Cover

Contents

Foreword

Supplemental Foreword

Introduction

Recreational Habits and Needs

Aspects of Recreational Planning

Present Public Outdoor Recreational Facilities

Administration

Financing

Legislation

A Park and Recreational Land Plan

A Study of the Park and Recreation Problem of the United States

RECREATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Man's needs for recreation evolve from facts heretofore presented. The 132,000,000 inhabitants of the United States have behind them a heredity of perhaps a hundred thousand years in natural surroundings modified by a present environment much changed a specialized occupation, and for most, a crowded city home surrounded by the good and bad results of a machine age. Leisure time is known; 50,000,000 can scarcely afford the price of trolley fare; some can girdle the globe. Accurate figures on limited studies of recreational habits have been presented.

There is sufficient information on what man enjoys in the out of doors. There is some reliable information on what he needs. The kind of areas and their desirable location are determinable. Any standard yardstick on the acreage and number of areas necessary is impossible.

Tastes in natural scenery have infinite variety. To some, the word "scenery" brings to mind towering mountains, deep gorges, and precipitous canyons. To others it conjures up mental pictures of the slumbering tangled jungles of a delta swamp. To still others it means peaceful hills where woodland and stream adjoin agricultural land. Death Valley, below sea level, and the high altitude of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, ocean-beach expanses and tiny rivulets, dense forests and vast reaches of the great plains, the far-away wildernesses, and the nearby pastoral landscape—all these and more are types of settings necessary to gratify the desires and needs of all of our population for outdoor recreation.

Appreciation of scenery is not governed by extent of leisure or limitation of pocketbook. To gratify the desires of all the people would require the combination of mountain, seashore, forest, and plain available within reach of all. Fortunately, actual needs as known today may be more easily met.

The following are representative of the items which should be given consideration in the selection of recreational land.

LAND FORMS—Mountains, hills, gorges, cliffs, mesas, buttes, bluffs, dunes, moraines, craters, lava beds, caves, plains, etc.

VEGETATION—Forest, prairie, savanna, meadow, swamp, marsh, bog, desert, alpine, subalpine, subtropical.

WATER—Oceans, lakes, streams, waterfalls, springs, geysers, and beaches.

HISTORY—Areas containing sites, relics, and other evidences of ancient peoples. Area, structures, and routes of travel directly associated with early Spanish, French, British, colonial, and Indian history of this country, and with the history and traditions of the United States as a Nation.

PALEONTOLOGY—Areas containing material evidences of the life of past geological periods as shown by fossil or other remains of animals and plants.

WILDLIFE—Areas consisting of various combinations of the above, as habitats for native wildlife.

The closer these advantages are to people, the greater will be their use; hence, larger investments are logical close to population concentrations. Sorely needed are miles of wooded stream banks enclosing unpolluted, unsilted waters, alike valuable to the automobile sightseer, fisherman, bather, boatsman, hiker, and picnicker. The green valley and the wooded hill, the tiny creek, and the wild flower all should be common heritage. Open highways, unfolding peaceful countryside unadorned by shoddy hot-dog stands and blatant signboards constitute a valuable asset.

And this country can afford to preserve its irreplaceable objects of outstanding worth—the giant redwoods, Independence Hall, the trackless wilderness of the Olympic peninsula, and the wonders of the Yellowstone. Objects of historic and archeologic note are inspirations of irreplaceable value; great expanses of resort country in the mountains, by the sea, around the Great Lakes, have economic worth in addition to their great potentiality for physical benefit and their capacity for giving lasting pleasure.

Figure 12.—The United States is rich in recreational resources of the land.

The urban population needs raw materials, food supplies, and space to live, work, and play. The living and play space has been generally neglected. The great need is for public open space in and near the urban centers. These open spaces should bring the country into and through the urban area, in the form of wide parkways tying together a system of large open areas.

For the 42 percent of our population who can travel no appreciable distance from their homes, needs must be met close by. Too, the weekday recreational facilities for all our people must be within a few miles. This means that such recreation for the city must be within municipal environs. For rural and sparsely settled sections, this provision of close-by recreation necessitates its combination with other uses. For close-by recreation, location rather than scenic excellence is the first consideration—the best land which is properly located should be chosen. Topographic suitability for playfield, picnicking, natural or artificial bathing facilities is very important. Here a great part of our public recreational provision should take place. Land costs, inevitably high, coupled with need for proximity to use, will dictate selection of a larger number of smaller areas.

On weekends and holidays, over half the people can travel appreciable distances beyond their neighborhood for recreation. While location as convenient as possible to the population to be served is important in area selection, scenic qualifications and recreational potentialities should be great. Larger areas are needed in which a concentrated use area with such facilities as a picnic area, camp ground, eating place, swimming place, or playfield may be located adjacent to an expanse of natural land. Here, distinction of area is of primary importance, a wider distance latitude being allowable. To put such areas even within 50 miles of most of our population will require expansion of existing recreational systems. In sections of dense population the number of areas will need to be increased. This will mean utilizing existing public lands to greater advantage and the acquisition of additional areas.

Vacation lands need to be the best lands available within the wider range of location requirements. A relatively small percentage of our people take extended vacations away from home. Some of these can afford more luxurious private areas, and some do not seek the out-of-doors during vacation periods. The quality of an area is the principal consideration in selection. Here people may reach ocean beaches, mountain heights, the cool of the northland in summer, the quiet of a wilderness area, the inspiration of an historic location.

We must have unspoiled scenic areas, retain irreplaceable natural scenes, preserve the character of the superlative. Vast vacation lands, public and private, are among our most important assets. Parks, forests, wildlife areas, large resort sections. all have cultural, social, and financial values to this generation, and are a heritage we can and should pass on to future generations. Needed are both the area for constant day-by-day use and the spot to be visited once in a lifetime.

In addition to the physical requirements of the people, enumerated above, we must concern ourselves with the provision of opportunities for participation by the entire population in wholesome recreation through cooperative, intelligent planning. Such planning must endeavor to effect a larger measure of coordination between the private and public agencies concerned and more fully enlist the voluntary effort of the individual.

Cognizance must be taken of the vast increase in and growing importance of commercial recreation. Education can play an important role in promoting intelligent choice and appreciation of the various forms of recreation.

Figure 13.—History and archeology are important aspects of a recreational program.

Figure 14.—Wildlife—An invaluable recreational resource.

Figure 15.—The human wealth should not be forgotten....

Figure 16.—Opportunities for healthful recreation conserve the human wealth.

The following recommendations, selected from the general recommendations of the White House Conference on Children in a Democracy and dealing with the recreational needs of children, also reflect the needs of adults:

1. The development of recreation and the constructive use of leisure time should be recognized as a public responsibility on a par with responsibility for education and health. Local communities, States, and the Federal Government should assume responsibility for providing public recreational facilities and services as well as for providing other services essential to the well-being of children. Private agencies should continue to contribute facilities, experimentation, and channels for participation by volunteers.

2. Steps should be taken in each community by public and private agencies to appraise local recreational facilities and services and to plan systematically to meet inadequacies. This involves utilization of parks, schools, museums, libraries, and camp sites; it calls for coordination of public and private activities and for the further development of private organizations in providing varied opportunities for children with different resources and interests. Special attention should be directed toward the maximum utilization of school facilities for recreation in both rural and urban areas.

3. Emphasis should be given to equalizing the opportunities available to certain neglected groups of children, including:

Children living in rural or sparsely settled areas.
Children in families of low income.
Negro children and children of other minority groups.
Children in congested city neighborhoods.

4. Public and private organizations carrying responsibility for leisure-time services should assist and cooperate in developing public recognition of the fact that recreation for young and old requires leadership, equipment, and trained personnel.

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Last Modified: Mon, Aug 9 2004 10:00:00 pm PDT
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