Abstract
This thesis examines the boundary park hypothesis, which posits that municipal governments tend not to distribute resources to maintain or upgrade parks that separate two distinct racial groups in a geographic area. It examines the effects of socio-spatial segregation of different races on the quality of their perspective local neighborhood parks in Houston, Texas. It also examines the role of the municipal government in improving neighborhood quality for all residents through the use of equity planning. The research paper is divided into five sections. The first section provides a general review of the functions parks serve in modern society. Then, the history of equity planning is introduced to suggest why there is a need for greater cultural sensitivity on the part of political institutions, such as municipal governments, when designing policies for distributing their resources. Next, the concept of the boundary park is introduced in the context of a discussion of the meaning and social construction of space. Finally, the thesis discusses methods to evaluate parks and recreation that are of particular relevance to the aims of the study. Results of a test of the boundary park thesis argument using information from neighborhood parks in the Metropolitan Houston Area are presented.
Aguirre, Carlos Agustin (2002). An evaluation of the social meanings of the boundary park: implications for municipal planning and race relations. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2002 -THESIS -A34.