A Dublin university is looking to to create parks of the future in response to the 'new normal' since COVID.
DCU is seeking to find out what people want to see in Dublin’s parks and how they can be developed in response to citizens' needs.
They launched the survey to find out what park users expect from the city's green spaces and how their needs changed since the coronavirus crisis.
Since the pandemic began parks and other green spaces in Dublin and around the country have stayed open, providing an important outlet for people to support their physical, social and psychological needs.
A survey was launched on March 15 to find out what people across the city want regarding planning and development policy in relation to public parks.
Joint Research lead Dr Carol Barron, DCU School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health believes that the parks should be developed for many reasons.
She said: “People access parks for a whole variety of reasons, for exercise, to enjoy nature, for social occasions and by hearing from them it will help to inform the ways in which parks should be improved and developed and, crucially planned as a space that all generations can enjoy together.”
Dr Marcos Dias, DCU School of Communications and Joint Research Lead added: “Parks have proved a safe haven for many during COVID-19 and undoubtedly the volume of people using their local park has increased substantially.
“While the country remains under current restrictions and people are using their parks on a frequent basis, we want to find out from respondents what they would like to see developed in their park.”
The survey on Dublin's park life is a collaboration between the School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, the School of Communications and Dublin City Council.
The research team highlighted that there are significant insights available in terms of the frequency, type of usage and volume of activities that have taken place in parks during this time.
The survey runs from Monday, March 15 to Sunday 28 March 2021.
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