Research Question: How do park use and perspectives on how parks should be used differ with location?
Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle, WA Qilihai National Wetland Park, Tianjin, China
We were interested in understanding the relationship between humans and nature from a local and global perspective. We examined the values, philosophies, and use of two parks in two different countries. We studied the history, mission, and controversial views on the purpose of the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle, Washington and Qilihai National Wetland Park in Tianjin, China. Then, we compared the use and ideology of each park.
We found that parks function as cultural landscapes that evolve over time. While people visit parks for similar reasons, attitudes towards parks and the definition of a park in the eyes of the local community varies with the location and time period. These attitudes influence the physical nature of parks and visitor experience of parks, leading to different interactions with the landscape.
We found that parks function as cultural landscapes that evolve over time. While people visit parks for similar reasons, attitudes towards parks and the definition of a park in the eyes of the local community varies with the location and time period. These attitudes influence the physical nature of parks and visitor experience of parks, leading to different interactions with the landscape.