Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
leisure facilities, they are operated on a non-commercial basis and offer access to the
entire population. Their value within the urban environment should be given greater
recognition as they contribute to the wider public good of metropolitan populations
compared with more specialised and targeted sport and leisure facilities. It is clear that
further research is needed to establish how local leisure needs can be met in terms of park
provision, so that park management plans focus attention on local areas and communities.
Urban parks and open spaces are an important sustainable leisure resource which can
accommodate multiple uses, being accessible to local communities who may not have
access to countryside areas. They are an integral feature of the urban landscape and
assume an important part of the daily lives of local communities.
SUMMARY POINTS
• The provision of open space and recreational opportunities in Newham are severely
constrained by the availability of open space.
• The London Borough of Newham has practised open space provision as a priority in
areas that are under-supplied.
• Political changes in the philosophy of urban space management have led to new
ideologies in the planning, evaluation and development of parts for local people.
• Surveys of user needs provide invaluable data for planners to match park and open
space provision to local needs.
• Similar issues of safety, usage by specific groups and the reasons for visiting parks
emerge that compare with other national and international studies of urban parks.
This case study of urban parks integrates many of the concepts and ideas already
developed in this chapter, concluding with a discussion on management and planning
philosophy and the implementation of geographical principles.
URBAN TOURISM
The second half of this chapter examines the concept of urban tourism, reviewing the
principal contributions towards its recognition as a tourism phenomenon worthy of study,
and it also emphasises the scope and range of environments classified as urban
destinations together with some of the approaches towards its analysis. It then considers a
framework for the analysis of the tourist's experience of urban tourism which is followed
by a discussion of key aspects of urban tourist behaviour: where do urban tourists go in
urban areas, what activities do they undertake, how do they
