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Full-Text Articles in Nature and Society Relations
When Nature Invades: Resident Perceptions Of The Austerity-Driven "Rewilding" Of An Urban Park In Rock Island, Illinois, Christian S. B. Elliott
When Nature Invades: Resident Perceptions Of The Austerity-Driven "Rewilding" Of An Urban Park In Rock Island, Illinois, Christian S. B. Elliott
Anthropology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works
In an era of rapid urbanization, changing climate, and increasing political division, parks represent increasingly important places for urban residents to interact with and feel connected to the natural environment and receive a number of mental and physical health benefits. Unfortunately, in an age of austerity politics, parks and recreation departments in Midwest Rust Belt cities often lack adequate funding to maintain such public spaces. Recently, the business-minded Rock Island, Illinois Department of Parks and Recreation has implemented a creative cost-saving management solution: “naturalizing” sections of its city parks. This interdisciplinary study uses a mixed methods approach to discover how …
Reaching The Water's Edge: Assessing Riverfront Accessibility In The Quad Cities Area, Lorraine Stamberger
Reaching The Water's Edge: Assessing Riverfront Accessibility In The Quad Cities Area, Lorraine Stamberger
Geography: Student Scholarship & Creative Works
In river towns across the United States, a slow transformation is taking place as aging and abandoned industrial infrastructure is being replaced by new riverfront uses. Consequently, the urban American riverfront has become a battleground, with municipalities, developers, and large corporations fighting over this contested land. Although riverfronts offer a wealth of benefits for the public such as therapeutic river views and abundant recreational opportunities, studies have shown that public interests and access are often overlooked in the waterfront development process. The purpose of this research is to understand the level of access people in the Quad Cities community have …