The park and the commons: vernacular spaces for everyday participation and cultural value

Figures & data

Figure 1. Parks and museums in Cheetham and Broughton.

Table 1. Taxonomy of participation and park users.

Active participants	(including facility users)
Creating a place for families	Particularly playgrounds
Creating a place for friends	Particularly football; other ball and team sports
Creating a place for solitude	Pigeon feeders, creating niche spaces
Rule-breakers	Particularly dog-walkers; cyclists
Passive participants
Strollers	‘Cultural’ users; those observing nature
Sitters	Passing time, idling
Hidden/invisible users	Graffiti, litter, evidence of drug use
Virtual participation	Interest in parks/green spaces through hobbies supported by internet use

Source: Edwards (2015).

Table 2. Word frequency of selected ‘community assets’ referred to in Manchester-Salford household interviews.

Word^a	Frequency^b
Football	390
Park/parks	380
Shop/shops	288
Club/clubs	252
Church/churches	233
Pub/pubs	204
Hospital	116
Doctor/doctors	85
Takeaway/takeaways	76
Theatre/theatres	68
Market/markets	62
Library/libraries	58
Museum/museums	57
Café/cafes	53
Mosque	51
Cinema/cinemas	46

^a Note some words may have a number of meanings and applications, for example, clubs, parks and markets.

^b Frequency of reference by both interviewer and interviewee; query was limited to 3000 most frequent words over 3 letters length.

Edwards, D. (2015, May). Ethnography report for Manchester-Salford Cultural Ecosystem, unpublished research report for Understanding Everyday Participation.

 Google Scholar