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- Safety
- Be Active
- Connect Me
- Take Notice
- Give
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There is a new concept, “take notice”, which means being present, aware and mindful, all of which have mental health benefits. Parks are also places where people can volunteer so that brings in the concept of “give”.
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- Ensure the environment is well maintained and well lit
- Provide accessible parking, toilets and drinking fountains close to the play area
- Ensure paths, handrails, seating and signage follow universal design guidelines. Seating should have back and arm rests.
- Position the play space so it is visible from surrounding buildings and well connected with short direct paths that are not steep
- Allowance for a food truck or coffee cart to facilitate activity and increase passive surveillance
- Consideration for pandemic safety with wide paths and sanitiser stations.
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Parks that everyone can use

“Let’s go to the park”

From the abstract
What motivates older adults to visit and use parks? Do older adults access parks for different reasons than younger adults? Prior studies determine age influences park visitation, but we know little about why. Older adults are particularly disadvantaged if their preferences, or constraints in frequenting parks are not considered.
This study focuses on fulfillment of autonomy, competence, and related needs in older adults as a precursor to motivation for park visitation. To build deeper understanding the study develops and tests a theoretical model of motivation for park visitation.
Findings indicate that older adults differ from younger adults in the level and type of motivation to visit parks. Specifically, older adults are motivated to revisit parks that fulfill their autonomy needs. Natural environment, a common park amenity, was the strongest predictor of autonomy need fulfillment in older adults, followed by location elements of convenience and community. Results confirm that park design must be specific to older adults to entice visitation.