Assessing a Community's Capacity to Engage with Urban Natural Resources

Abstract

This project was completed as part of the 2013-2014 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of North St. Paul. Many urban residents do not have the opportunity to engage with nature, despite having natural areas in cities. North St. Paul is home to several natural park areas, and the City was looking for ways to help residents better engage with those areas. Project lead Jon Fure partnered with a graduate student working on a Master’s thesis in Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management to address this concern. The student offered a set of recommendations to improve engagement with nature, including: developing better shoreline access; better communication of park initiatives; partnerships with sports organizations; connecting organizations with common interests; helping to create common understanding of environmental issues; including more raingardens; and sharing resident stories about their connections to natural areas. The student's thesis is available.