The Atmosphere of the Area and Its Population - Essay Example

?Social and Physical Benefits of Parks and Recreation Data Collection and Analysis Introduction In view of the importance of parks as areas for recreation and environmental conservation, many studies are increasingly being carried out to highlight their physical and social benefits to the society as well as improve their management. This part presents the data collection and analysis strategy that was applied in the study of Dearborn Park and its recreational value to the users. Two main research methods are applied in this study; these include qualitative research methods and quantitative research methods. While quantitative methods primarily apply systematic approaches that involve numerical data manipulation, qualitative techniques use a different approach which is largely ethnographic and involves description and explanation of findings (Beebe, 2012). Quantitative methods of data collection and analysis have been given greater weight in this study with descriptive statistics being allocated a central role in trying to analyze and explain the findings of the study. Sampling techniques used According to Beebe (2012), a statistical sample of any given population can be tested through quantitative techniques to provide answers to research questions or to test hypotheses. This study was carried out by sampling the population for the purpose of coming up with quality research findings covering a manageable area and population. Dearborn Park was used as a case study to determine the social and physical benefits of parks and recreation as well as important factors affecting them. For this reason there was no sampling per se as the population of the park was considered as a whole. Basically this was made possible by the fact that the data for the park is available on the internet through various websites. All the other features and properties of the park that form part of the data collected were collected from the entirety of the park and thus no part thereof was sampled as a representative. Data collection and instruments used In this research, three main methods of data collection were applied; observation, telephony and search from the internet. Observation was carried out by the researcher visiting the area and recording all relevant information and data that could be observed with the help of park guides. The information collected through observation mainly included park activities, the general settings and environment of the settlement, demographic and other similar information; the researcher visited the park twice, once during the weekdays and once during the weekend so as to get the contrast between those two periods in terms of residential activities. Telephony was applied when additional information was needed about the park both before the visit and after. The researcher basically called the park manager and asked any relevant questions related to the study. The researcher especially called the manager to get information about the size of playground, tennis court, open fields of the park. The final and most productive source of data for the study was the internet. Most of the quantitative data for the park was obtained from various websites dealing with recreational parks in the USA. Information about parks and their demographics was obtained from websites with park data, other specific information about issues related to the parks such as health and crime was obtained from websites dealing with the specific issues in relation to estates. Search Strategy For data to be gathered from websites, a good search strategy targeting the most relevant websites was required so as to get quality information. The search strategy included identification of the main key words related to the topic of study and Dearborn Park. Some of the main phrases used included ‘Dearborn Park LA’, ‘Dearborn Park statistic’, and ‘Dearborn Park LA characteristics’. Databases searched included OARE, EBSCO HOST and MEDLINE. Findings The tables below present the data findings of the study. Each of the tables presents various different types of information about the park. Table 1 combines the size, demographic information, crime data, and health information relating to Dearborn Park going back to 2009. Table 2 on the other hand presents the quantitative information of various facilities in the park and their accessibility. Table 1: Demographics, size, crime, and health statistics for Dearborn Park in the past 5 years Data Year Source ZIP Code: 91325 Population 33,941 2012 bestplaces.net Median household income 62,747 2010 zipdatamaps.com Median age 33.941 2012 bestplaces.net % African American 5.9 2012 bestplaces.net % Hispanic 2.76 2012 bestplaces.net % Asian American 16.93 2012 bestplaces.net % Non-native born N/A Area (acres) 3336 Crime statistics (Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics) for 6 month   Overall Crime Rate N/A crimereports.com Overall Violent Crime Rate N/A crimereports.com Murder and non-negligent manslaughter rate N/A crimereports.com Forcible rape rate N/A crimereports.com Robbery rate N/A crimereports.com Aggravated assault rate N/A crimereports.com Overall Property Crime Rate N/A crimereports.com Burglary rate N/A crimereports.com Larcency-theft rate N/A crimereports.com Motor vehicle theft rate 10 crimereports.com Theft 12 crimereports.com Breaking & Entering 5 crimereports.com Health % Obese 8.56-17.95 2009 healthycity.org % Overweight 30.45-32.45 2009 healthycity.org % Normal or Underweight 50.35-68.04 2009 healthycity.org Property Address Sales Price Sales Date Size (sq ft) Year Built 17333 Nordhoff St. Los Angeles, CA 91325 780,007 3/8/2012 4505 1938 17120 Nordhoff St. Los Angeles, CA 91325 558,505 1/19/2012 3549 1976 9236 Aldena Ave. Los Angeles, CA 91325 736,007 12/7/2012 3527 1954 17063 Knapp St. Los Angeles, CA 91325 650,006 9/30/2011 3191 1976 9243 Louise Ave. Los Angeles, CA 91325 590,005 1/10/2012 3166 1970 8970 Oak Park Ave. Los Angeles, CA 91325 560,005 10/31/2011 2898 1954 17074 Dearborn St. Los Angeles, CA 91325 650,006 10/3/2011 2876 1976 8937 Oak Park Ave. Los Angeles, CA 91325 760,007 4/6/2012 2751 1953 17033 Dearborn St. Los Angeles, CA 91325 625,006 11/4/2011 2695 1976 17250 Prairie St. Los Angeles, CA 91325 600,006 6/26/2012 2662 1956 17069 Calahan St. Los Angeles, CA 91325 620,006 11/15/2011 2603 1976 9300 Aldena Ave. Los Angeles, CA 91325 461,004 5/4/2012 2473 1955 9215 Paso Robles Ave. Los Angeles, CA 91325 575,005 6/8/2012 2473 1976 9265 Paso Robles Ave. Los Angeles, CA 91325 645,006 1/15/2013 2341 1976 9301 Louise Ave. Los Angeles, CA 91325 522,505 7/20/2012 2250 1955 9253 Aldea Avelos Angeles, CA 91325 550,005 12/27/2012 2242 1955 9419 Aldea Ave. Los Angeles, CA 91325 453,004 11/29/2011 1890 1955 17321 Dearborn St. Los Angeles, CA 91325 435,004 3/8/2012 1731 1955 17173 Osborne St. Los Angeles, CA 91325 470,004 11/3/2011 1545 1951 Table 2: Quantity and access of various facilities and recreational spaces in Dearborn Park Dearborn Park Facilities Size (acres) 9.1 Facilities   Soccer Fields 0 Baseball Fields 0 Football Fields 0 Open Fields 1 full size (10 people) Basketball Courts 2 Playgrounds 1 (40 people) Tennis Courts 2 (10 people) Swimming Pool 0 Dog Park 0 Access Parking spaces in park non On-street parking spaces yes Bike Rack Slots non Transit Stops Nordhoff St. & Amestoy Ave, Nordhoff & Louise Ave Transit Line Number 166, 364 Data analysis The data collected was analyzed through various techniques including use of charts and other descriptive statistical techniques. Statistical tests were also applied to determine relationships between various characteristics of the park. As indicated in figure 1, a significant population of Dearborn Park is made up of whites at 74% with the other groups making up the remaining 26% of the population. Hispanics and African Americans make significantly low percentages of the population at 3 percent and 6 percent respectively. It is evident from the results that there are no non-native born people settling in the estate which makes it an all American population. Figure 1: Dearborn population Findings reveal as indicated in figure 2 that general theft and motor vehicle theft are the greatest crimes in the area of study. Theft accounts for about 44 percent of criminal cases while motor vehicle theft accounts for a significant 37 percent. Although general theft cannot be completely accounted for by one particular factor, motor vehicle theft can be largely attributed to lack of parking space in the park. Findings indicate that there is parking space for motor vehicles only on the streets. Breaking and entering is also a significant crime in the park; this along with general theft can be attributed to the fact that most of the residents of the area are working class people who travel to work every day leaving the area with few people. Dearborn Park residents enjoy a number of recreational facilities including open fields for relaxation, two basketball courts, one playground and two tennis courts. Although the area needs more recreational and relaxation facilities, the facilities present are not actively utilized to a significant level. It was observed by the researcher that the population is mostly passive in nature with most people preferring to sit and relax rather than utilize sports facilities. Figure 2: Crime statistics for the past six months The results related to property size and price reveal that the properties in Dearborn park have been sold over the years at varying prices for different properties. Regression analysis was carried out to examine the relationship between the property prices and size of the properties because they are of different sizes as shown below; Table 3: Regression table (Testing relationship between property size and price) Property size (Sq ft) Rank (x) Property price Property price in million $ (y) xy x2 y2 4505 1 780,007 0.78 0.78 1 0.61 3549 2 558,505 0.56 1.12 4 0.31 3527 3 736,007 0.74 2.22 9 0.55 3191 4 650,006 0.65 2.6 16 0.42 3166 5 590,005 0.59 2.95 25 0.35 2898 6 560,005 0.56 3.36 36 0.31 2876 7 650,006 0.65 4.55 49 0.42 2751 8 760,007 0.76 6.08 64 0.58 2695 9 625,006 0.63 5.67 81 0.4 2662 10 600,006 0.6 6 100 0.36 2603 11 620,006 0.62 6.82 121 0.38 2473 12 461,004 0.46 5.52 144 0.21 2473 13 575,005 0.58 7.54 169 0.34 2341 14 645,006 0.65 9.1 196 0.42 2250 15 522,505 0.53 7.95 225 0.28 2242 16 550,005 0.55 8.8 256 0.3 1890 17 453,004 0.45 7.65 289 0.2 1731 18 435,004 0.44 7.92 324 0.19 1545 19 470,004 0.47 8.93 361 0.22 ?x=190 ?y=11.27 ?xy=105.56 ?x2=2470 ?y2=6.85 The regression values were computed as indicated in the process below; Calculating values of x and y; x= ?x/n =190/19= 10 y= ?y/n =11.27/19= 0.59 Calculating the values of SSxy, SSxx, and SSyy; SSxy= ?xy- [( ?x)( ?y)]/n =105.56- [(190)(11.27)]/19 =105.56-112.7= -7.14 SSxx= ?x2- (?x)2/n =2470- (190)2/19 =2450- 1900= 550 SSyy= ?y2- (?y)2/n =6.85- (11.27)2/19 =6.85- 6.68= 0.17 Computing b; b= SSxy/ SSxx =-7.14/550= -0.013 Finally, computing r and r2; r= SSxy / v SSxx SSyy =-7.14/ v(550*0.17) =-7.14/ 9.67 = -0.74 r2=b SSxy/ SSyy =(-0.74)2 =0.55 The value r=-0.74 indicates that the relationship between property size and prices is weak. The implication is that the size of property in the park does not necessarily dictate their price. The value of r2= 0.91 indicates that 55% of the total variation in property prices is explained by size of the property while the other 45% can be attributed to other factors. The average value of r2 indicates that there are other important variables that contribute to the price of property in Dearborn Park. Conclusion Dearborn Park is a large area with a significant population. The recreational facilities present in the space are not sufficient for the population in the area since a handful of public sporting spaces have to serve a population of almost 34,000. The area may therefore benefit from expansion and diversification of recreational facilities to include modern and exciting facilities. This may serve to enliven the atmosphere of the area whose population has been established to be rather passive. Finally, the regression analysis carried out on the property data indicates that although property sizes play a significant role in determining their sizes, the relationship between the two is not very strong. This indicates that other factors significantly contribute to property prices in the area. References Beebe, T, McAlpine, D, Ziegenfuss, J, Jenkins, S, Haas, L, & Davern, M. (2012). Deployment of a mixed-mode data collection strategy does not reduce nonresponse bias in a general population health survey. Health Services Research 47(4): 1739-1754, MEDLINE with Full Text, EBSCOhost Read More