Title: People and the River: Perception and Use of Chicago Waterways for Recreation.

Author: Gobster, P. H.; Westphal, L. M.

Year: 1998

Publication: Misc. Publ., Milwaukee, WI: U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program.

Abstract: This report describes an interrelated set of social science investigations conducted for the ChicagoRivers Demonstration Project. The purpose of these studies was to understand how user and interest groups currently perceive and use the Chicago and Calumet River corridors, and how they would like to see the corridors improved for recreation and related values. An introductory chapter defines overall research objectives and presents a framework for identifying important groups, settings, and issues for study. Four subsequent chapters address these dimensions with respect to a) nearby neighborhood residents, b) on-site recreational users, c) resource experts, and d) recreation habitats. Three additional chapters briefly summarize support studies which assessed a) the outdoor needs of Chicago residents, b) the leisure needs and preferences of Chinese Americans living in Chinatown, and c) the recreational use of the Chicago River system by canoeists, kayakers and rowers. A final chapter summarizes and synthesizes findings from all these studies (as well as findings from a metropolitan-wide telephone survey of area residents published in the ChicagoRivers Demonstration Project document entitled "Resident Use and Perception of the Chicago and Calumet Rivers"), and suggests directions for corridor planning and management.