Participatory planning for the future of accessible nature

The health and well-being benefits of nature contact in parks and other forms of protected areas are now well established, but remain beyond the grasp of many due to century-old design legacies and inadequate investment in inclusive visitor services. This paper reports on lessons learned from an int...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Local environment 2021-07, Vol.26 (7), p.808-824
Main Authors: Groulx, Mark, Lemieux, Christopher, Freeman, Shannon, Cameron, Jacob, Wright, Pamela A., Healy, Theresa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic staff
Access
Accessibility
backcasting
Employment
Federal legislation
Information dissemination
Information sharing
Interdisciplinary aspects
Legislation
nature
Parameter identification
Parks
Parks & recreation areas
parks and protected areas
Participatory planning
Planning
planning and policy
Protected areas
Well being
Workshops
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Summary:The health and well-being benefits of nature contact in parks and other forms of protected areas are now well established, but remain beyond the grasp of many due to century-old design legacies and inadequate investment in inclusive visitor services. This paper reports on lessons learned from an interdisciplinary workshop that brought together park agency staff, academics, and individuals representing accessibility organisations. The purpose of this workshop was to develop a shared vision and explore planning and management pathways for advancing accessibility in parks and protected areas. Four interrelated priority action areas were identified: (1) inclusivity through employment; (2) inclusive programming; (3) information sharing; and, (4) partnering in next steps. This paper contributes to an underdeveloped literature on accessibility and nature by identifying parameters around which park agencies can collaborate to empower diverse populations to enhance their health and well-being through nature contact. Findings strongly suggest the need for parks and protected areas planning and management to evolve at all levels of service delivery in order to keep in step with new federal and provincial legislation focused on building a more inclusive Canada.
ISSN:1354-9839
1469-6711
DOI:10.1080/13549839.2021.1933405