Ryan Bergstrom

Exploring the Distribution of Park Availability, Features, and Quality Across Kansas City, Missouri by Income and Race/Ethnicity: an Environmental Justice Investigation

BackgroundParks are key community assets for physical activity, but some evidence suggests these resources are not equitably distributed.PurposeThis study examined disparities by income and race/ethnicity in the availability, features, and quality of parks across Kansas City, Missouri.MethodsAll parks and census tracts (CTs) were mapped using geographical information systems, and park features and quality were determined via audits. Multivariate analyses of covariance analyzed differences in park availability, features, and quality across low-, medium-, and high-income and race/ethnicity CT tertiles.ResultsLow-income CTs contained significantly more parks, but also had fewer parks with playgrounds and more quality concerns per park. High minority CTs had more parks with basketball courts, but fewer parks with trails. Medium-income CTs contained more aesthetic features per park.ConclusionsFuture research should examine policies that contribute to and that might rectify disparities in park features and quality, especially in low-income and high minority areas.

Planning for health: a community-based spatial analysis of park availability and chronic disease across the lifespan.

The purpose of this study was to explore the spatial relationship between park availability and chronic health conditions (CHCs) across age groups in Kansas City, MO. Multinomial logistic regression examined the association between having a park within one-half mile from home and the likelihood of having 0, 1, or 2 or more CHCs. Among respondents aged 40-59, those without a park within one-half mile from home were more than twice as likely to have 2 or more CHCs compared to respondents that had a park nearby. Parks may be an important protective factor for chronic diseases, especially among middle-aged adults among whom access to neighborhood recreational environments may be particularly important.

Capital Vice in the Midwest: The Spatial Distribution of the Seven Deadly Sins

Abstract Please click here to download the map associated with this article. Capital vices, or cardinal sins, have been discussed and debated since at least the 4th century, when Evagrius Ponticus, a Roman born monk who relished praise from his peers and married women, first wrote of the eight evil thoughts from which all sinful behavior was based. These evil thoughts—gluttony, fornication, avarice, sorry, anger, discouragement, vainglory, and pride—were later revised in the 6th Century by Pope Gregory I to constitute the seven deadly sins: Luxuria (Lust), Gula (Gluttony), Avaritia (Greed), Acedia (Sloth), Ira (Wrath), Invidia (Envy), and Superbia (Pride). From the 14th century onwards, the deadly sins have been popularized by texts, including Dante Alaghieris 14th century masterpiece The Divine Comedy(Alagherii, 2010), and they have continued to be a prominent focus in contemporary art, music, television, film, comic books and, most recently, video games. The authors undertook the task of statistically representing the seven deadly sins at the county level within the Midwest region of the United States to determine what, if any, spatial coincidence occurred. Each of the seven deadly sins was given separate treatment based on sociological and economic characteristics and available data. Pride, the “greatest” and “root” of all sins, was determined to be the aggregation of each sin and represents the total sinfulness of a given county or region.

Understanding agents of change in amenity gateways of the Greater Yellowstone region

Abstract Recognition of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem – lands that surround Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks – was hoped to facilitate regional sustainability. However, with over 30 federal, tribal, state, and local agencies; thousands of private businesses and landowners; over 175 non-government organizations; and more than 16 million users annually, the region has proven difficult to manage comprehensively. It is increasingly important to understand how local stakeholders perceive control over change and the responsible agents and actors. This is particularly important in amenity gateway communities where the relationship between public lands management and local community development have become increasingly complex in recent decades. Findings suggest that not only does community proximity and dependence on Yellowstone National Park and its policies influence perceptions of the actors and agents of change, but also perceptions directly influence how gateway communities address the challenges they face.

Back from the Brink: How Hunters Sustain Montana's Wildlife

Beginning with the gold rush era of the 1860s and culminating with the devastating droughts of the 1910s and 1930s, Montanas wildlife, and that of the entire nation, was in a perilous state and in need of a boost. This boost came from the introduction of the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, or as it is commonly known, the Pittman–Robertson Act, in 1937. The program is based on a self-imposed and hunter-supported manufacturers excise tax. These funds, in conjunction with funds generated through Montana hunting permits, have brought Montanas wildlife back from the brink of destruction. The objective of this study was to determine if a relationship between hunter-supported expenditures by Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks existed with hunter participation numbers and harvest numbers. It was hypothesized that there existed a positive relationship between the amount of hunter-related expenditures and the amount of hunter participation and harvest rates.

A Review of “Geographical Perspectives on Sustainable Rural Change”

accelerated, and the project was completed in July 2011. Now Dumka is connected with a railway. This is just one example of enhanced government attention that Jharkhand has received. The author of In the Shadow of the State: Indigenous Politics, Environmentalism, and Insurgency in Jharkhand, India spent about ten years doing fieldwork and research for this book. It is divided into six chapters. In the words of the author herself, “In this book I concentrate on Munda perspectives, which in general terms, and vis-à-vis the rural elites, are representative of the other Adivasi and Dalit families in Tapu” (p. 28). Continuing, Shah presents the holistic goal and the main focus of her work in the following words: