EVALUATING USERSHIP IN BUFFALO'S OLMSTED PARK

The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy (BOPC) engaged the
Capstone team to create a methodology to collect, analyze, and
present data on park usership to better understand how many people
are using its parks. The team reviewed case studies and literature
on park usership to determine best practices for data collection.
In partnership with BOPC staff, the team used these guidelines to
test methods in Olmsted parks in NYC and Buffalo. Based on its
findings, the team created a toolkit that employs recommended data
collection methods for each of BOPC’s park assets. The methods
involve conducting entry counts and activity scans at multiple times,
on different days, across seasons, to create a representative sample
of park users that can be used for yearly population estimates.
BOPC will use the team’s report and toolkit to make data-informed
decisions in its 5-Year Plan, which drives strategy in the short term,
and future efforts in investment, maintenance, and planning.