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Socio-Economic Tools - Recreation Demand
Recreation Demand Tools
Recreation Demand Analysis - A thorough understanding
of residents' recreational behavior and demand for recreational activities
is essential for evaluating the adequacy of existing recreational facilities
and projecting future needs. This process is usually started with a survey
to determine what recreation activiites residents participate in, how
frequently, and what additonal recreation opportunities they would like.
The participation rate represents the percentage of the population which
has participated in a particular activity in the past year. The frequency
rate represents the average number of times a year a respondent engaged
in a given activity.
You will want to identify existing unsatisfied demand for recreation facilities as well as future demand. Future recreation demands are based upon future population projections, and participation and frequency rates previously identified. Participation and frequency rates are applied to the population projections to determine the number of occasions per year a particular activity is demanded. Dividing this figure by the standard facility capacity yields an estimate of the minimum number of facilities needed to satisfy future demand for recreational services demand. These demands can be compared to existing recreational facilities to get a good picture of the surplus or shortage of recreational facilities.