Introduction
During 2018-2019, the Ford Park Play Space was upgraded as Stage 1 of a multi-stage upgrade to Ford Park. An evaluation with park users was undertaken in August and September 2019 to measure the impact of the upgrade of the play space against the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Priority areas of physical activity and mental wellbeing, particularly social connection. Access to water and provision of shade were also considered.
Background
Located in Bellfield and bordering Ivanhoe, Ford Park is a large neighbourhood sporting park that includes a dog park, 2 sporting ovals, grandstand and pavilion, play space, public toilets, walking tracks and open space.
The park is on Oriel road, with the Banksia street and Ivanhoe to the south, and Harrison street to the north. This area is experiencing significant change and growth, particularly with changes to social housing and gentrification of the area.
Ford Park is an important destination within the local community. Australian and international research shows that people are willing to walk up to 400m to access a local facility. This has led to the development of the 20 Minute Neighbourhood, promoted as best-practice for urban development in Melbourne for improved health, economic and environmental outcomes.
The immediate neighbourhoods surrounding Ford Park within the 400m radius are some of the more disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Banyule. Social housing ranges between 9-25% of all households, 45% of households have children between the ages of 0-11 years of age, 19% of households have an income of less than $650 per week and the neighbourhoods directly west and north of the park are within the second lowest quintiles of disadvantage across Australia. Having a facility such as Ford Park within walking distance of home is important to provide opportunities for social connection, physical activity and mental wellbeing for nearby residents.
Between October 2018 and March 2019, the play space at Ford Park was redeveloped. The new play space includes a scooter track, natural play spaces, playground equipment, and barbecues with shelters and picnic settings. Access to the play space was improved with extra entry points and pathways leading to the play space. Landscaping the surrounding area was also undertaken to include lawn areas, trees and garden beds.
Consultation with community and stakeholders about the play space was undertaken as part of the master plan for Ford Park redevelopment. Further improvements and upgrades will occur as further funding becomes available for these changes. The next improvement to be made is creation and installation of a space specifically for young people.
Evaluation implementation
The evaluation was undertaken by a final year health promotion and public health student from Deakin University with close supervision from the health planner. A casual employee from the youth team was also engaged to provide support during the data collection period. The student developed an evaluation plan, devised an evaluation method, collected qualitative and quantitative data, collated and analysed the data, and prepared a summary report. Although the upgraded play space was the primary focus of the evaluation, the surrounding walking tracks and near by dog park were also included in the evaluation because there were interconnections between the 3 aspects of the park.
A second data collection phase was planned for March/April 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Emails that we received providing qualitative feedback on the upgrade were also included in the evaluation and this study.
Evaluation
Data collection occurred over three separate visits to Ford Park in September and October 2019 including weekday and weekend days; morning, early afternoon and late afternoon times and it was not school holidays. Data collected at these times included quantitative data of park users including the play space, walking tracks and dog park, as well as time spent in the play spaces. Features of the park such as water fountains, shade provision and spaces for social connection were also recorded. Short interviews were held with park users to collect qualitative data on where the user lived, purpose of visit, frequency of visits, length of visits and perceived benefits of visits. Data was also collected by gender and age where possible, to allow for greater understanding of the use and needs of users of different genders. Gender and age of park users was approximated by the evaluators.
Overall, 17 people were interviewed over the three sessions, and 360 park users were observed over the 3 data collection sessions.
The weather on all three occasions was recorded as pleasant spring weather with sunshine and no rain.
Findings
The play space and walking tracks were well utilised for physical activity. Over the 3 data collection periods, 360 individuals were observed using the play space and walking track. The 2 main user groups were parents with children, and dog owners. During 3 data collection periods, late afternoon had the most park users.
The scooter park was a strong attraction for people using the play space. Users commented that it is the ‘best scooter track’ and the ‘main purpose for attending the park’. Other users commented that they went out of their way to visit Ford Park because they have seen others using the scooter track.
The walking track and playground were also popular. Majority of the children at the playground were preschool age (based on observation from the evaluators) and were there with parents or grandparents. The children interviewed loved the playground and commented that it was their favourite thing at the park. They were observed engaging in active play on the playground, spending up to 15 minutes per individual piece of play equipment before moving to another piece of equipment.
Men were most commonly observed to be engaged in active play at the playground with the children. They were observed using the playground equipment with children as well as supporting children to use the equipment, for example pushing swings, encouragement for using the slide. This observation was consistent amongst men who were there as a single family unit, as well as males who were there for a group activity, such as a birthday party. This was also consistent across different age groups, for example fathers and grandfathers.
One mother who was interviewed liked to visit the park with her children because it gave her the opportunity to exercise on the walking track and using the steps in the grand stand whilst her children played. There was equal numbers of boys and girls who were observed playing on the playground, playing in the nature play areas and using the scooter park.
There were equal numbers of men and women using the walking track, as well as walking dogs. Interviews with dog walkers indicated that due to smaller houses in the areas, the walking tracks and dog park are important for dogs to get exercise. One professional dog walker interviewed commented that she visited the park daily to ensure the energy levels and exercise needs of the dogs she cared for were met.
The play space and dog park provided opportunities for people to connect with others. In particular, the dog park provided incidental opportunities for dog owners to connect. Those interviewed made comments that they didn’t plan to meet people there but would usually engage with other users. Many users commented that they had joined the Ford Park Dog Park Facebook page, which was begun by a community member, that provided extra social connection opportunities for users. The dog walkers who were interviewed all lived locally – within a 5 minute walk to the park.
The play space provided both formal and informal opportunities for social connection. It has become a popular venue for birthday parties, and one interviewee who was attending a birthday party commented that they were coming back the following weekend for another party and had held their child’s party there. The parties were attended by parents as well as children, and it was observed that the men were engaged in active play with the children, whilst the women were observed organising food and talking to each other.
During one of the data collection periods, a mothers group attended, and when interviewed they responded that they visited the park monthly as a group. It provided an appropriate space for their children to play whilst the parents connected with each other.
There were also many instances of informal connection observed during the data collection. Adults would talk to each other as their children played with each another. There was also one park user interviewed who liked to visit the park several times a week for social interaction with others. He had established a routine of visiting local parks each day, he would bring lunch, something to read and a radio. He would sit at the benches or in the grand stand and talk with other park users.
It was found through the interviews that majority of the play space users were not coming from Bellfield, but Ivanhoe and Thornbury, which may impact on the opportunity for local social connection for those who live in areas adjoining the park. Anecdotal evidence collected by Council officers indicates that the people who live north of Bell Street use Malahang Reserve, located 1.5 km north of Ford Park, and are reluctant to travel south to access services and facilities. Other evidence suggests that long-time locals of the Bellfield and Heidelberg West who experience the greatest disadvantage are less inclined to use spaces that have been changed or affected by gentrification. As facilities are upgraded, they attract users from less disadvantaged areas which makes the locals less likely to use the facilities. However, Council has received many emails from local residents thanking them for the upgrade of the play space, and other Council staff have anecdotal evidence that the play space is used by Bellfield residents. Interviewed users of the dog park and walking tracks were from the local area.
From both observations and interviews, the average length of time that users spent at the park was between 30-60 minutes. People using the playground were more likely to attend the park one to two times a week for an hour, whereas dog owners were more likely to visit the park three to four times a week, also for an hour. People who came specifically to socialise tended to stay at the park for up to 3 hours; this included groups using the park for an event such as a birthday party or parent’s group outing, as well as people who lived locally and liked to visit the park frequently to meet with other locals.
It was observed that when men brought children to the park, they came early on Saturday morning, by themselves with children. Women were more likely to come with a friend/partner and children later in the morning, or during the afternoon.
Access to tap water
There were 4 water fountains observed in the park in good working order: 3 of the 4 had bowls to provide water for dogs.
Access to shade
The numerous seats in the park all had natural shade. The barbecues and picnic seating also had shade. Shade was provided over the grand stand seating area.
Recommendations
The upgrade to the play space and walking tracks provided quality infrastructure that supported physical activity, mental wellbeing and shade to the local community.
Further suggestions from users included:
- toilets to be built closer to the playground
- opportunity for a coffee van to be present near the play space
- safer access to the park across Oriel Road via a crossing and gate into the play space
- child-safe barrier/fence between the play space and Oriel Road to prevent children leaving the play space and going onto the road
- creation of a space for older children (this is being addressed in Stage 2 of the Ford Park Master Plan)
Conclusion
The upgrade of the play space at Ford Park has provide the community with a vibrant and well utilised space for physical activity and social connection. Tree planting provides shade to complement structural shade, and there is access to tap water for park users.
While it fits within the 20 Minute Neighbourhood model, monitoring needs to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of those who live locally and experience greatest disadvantage, as well as those who travel and use it as a destination park.
The upgrade provides an excellent example of how municipal health and wellbeing priority areas can be met for multiple age groups and genders through open space planning and provision of infrastructure.