Stanley R. Lieber

Destination diversification as an indicator of activity compatibility: an exploratory analysis.

Abstract The concept of activity packages has long been recognized as an important basis for planning outdoor recreation activities. Recent studies suggest, however, that because of definitional and methodological problems, little has been accomplished in helping park planners assess the degree to which activities can be planned together. In this study, we explore the relationship between participation in recreation activities and the number of facilities at which activity takes place. The results suggest that this relationship can be used as a reliable indicator of the degree to which recreation activities are perceived to be compatible. The analyses also suggest that households generally tend to perceive compatibility among recreation activities in the same way regardless of their socioeconomic status. The implications of these findings are considered and shown to be important within the context of park planning.

Attributes of Chicago trail areas

Abstract This paper presents the results of a study designed to identify the important attributes of trail areas in Metropolitan Chicago for four day‐use activities: bicycling, cross‐country skiing, day hiking, and jogging. In an attempt to minimize both the potential biases of researchers and the response biases resulting from any one survey method, four different procedures were used to ascertain the attributes that recreators use in evaluating trail areas. The four methods were: the semantic differential, the grid‐sorting method of Personal Construct Theory, a ranking method, and an open‐ended response method. The analyses indicated that five trail attributes are the primary determinants of trail area preferences. These five are: type of trail surface, trail terrain, length of trail, number of changes in view, and proximity to residence. A separate and subsequent research design was used to show that the five trail area attributes identified here are predictors of actual trail usage.

Outdoor recreation expenditures and the effects of spatial structure

Abstract Visitor expenditure models have been the focus of substantial attention in outdoor recreation research because of their significance in estimating local economic impacts. At the disaggregate level models have usually included simple measures of distance decay and variables representing the attributes of households and supply features. Scholars have ignored the differential effects that the spatial structure of opportunities might have upon expenditures. This paper presents an analysis of the effects of spatial structure upon visitor expenditures for outdoor recreation in Oklahoma. Analyses are presented which identify and differentiate the relative effects of spatial structure upon visitor expenditures and the alternative forms of spatial diversification behavior consistent with such expenditure patterns.

Recreation expenditures and opportunity theory: the case of Illinois.

With the exception of measures reflecting travel distance, travel time, or travel cost, the literature devoted to the understanding and prediction of the economic impact of recreation has oversimplified the characterization of the spatial or locational aspects of the distribution of opportunities facing decision makers. In this paper, the relative effects of site characteristics are compared to the spatial context within which recreators make destination choices in accounting for variations in per person per day expenditures. The results show that for a large portion of Illinois households the agglomerative effects and contextual effects of spatial structure are the principal factors influencing per person per day expenditure levels.

Spatial Structure and Behavior Response in Outdoor Recreation Participaton

A central theme in outdoor recreation has been the development of general models that can be used to forecast future participation levels. These models have traditionally included measures of distance-decay, as well as attributes of the household and the recreation facility believed to affect outdoor recreation behaviour. Recent research by a number of scholars suggest, however, that the results found by applying these models lack comparability between regions because they may be seriously effected by the spatial structure of recreation opportunities. The nature of the problems associated with spatial structure are briefly introduced and an accessibility index was employed in order to identify households facing similar distributions of recreation opportunities. An analysis of covariance was then employed to identify the differing effects of spatial structure upon outdoor recreation behaviour. The implications of the research are discussed with particular reference to variety seeking and spatial diversification behaviour.

The importance of urban milieu in predicting recreation participation: The case of day hiking

Abstract Numerous outdoor recreation forecasting studies have included household characteristics as well as aspects of the recreation facilities and accessibility. Only a few studies, however, have included in the prediction equation any measure of the effects of urban milieu on behavior. Four commonly cited surrogates of urban milieu are used to cluster the cities of Illinois into three relatively homogeneous groups of environments. Regression analyses are then undertaken using individual household data, aspects of the recreation facilities patronized by the households, participation, and distance and travel time estimates. Comparisons of the regression analyses indicate that, as a concept, milieu is an important predictor of both the volume of recreation participation and salient features of recreation facilities.