Examining barriers to access for the Triangle's NC State Parks

The Institute kicked off a new initiative today to evaluate barriers to access Durham-area residents may encounter that prevent them from visiting the many nearby NC State Parks. Over the next twelve weeks, two graduate students from the Nicholas School of the Environment’s Community-Based Environmental Management Practicum will help us analyze and map the alternative transportation infrastructure connecting Durham to each of the nearby State Parks to see if a resident without a motor vehicle can realistically access these parks.

Residents of Durham and its neighboring communities are unique in the State of North Carolina in that they are quite literally surrounded by State Parks, with five distinct recreational sites within a 20-mile radius. Nowhere else in NC are State Parks so heavily concentrated. Despite this concentration and proximity to such a large population center, public transit access to these sites is minimal and feasible bike routes are just as sparce, recommended only “for the most experienced riders.”

Master of Environmental Management students Marinel Ubaldo and Sally Jernigan-Smith will identify the existing transportation infrastructure and evaluate each transportation mode’s use feasibility across factors like condition, scheduling, and safety. At the end of the 12 week project, the Institute and its student partners will present the completed asset map to local residents and partnered community-based organizations to assess awareness and opinions of these recreational opportunities they are uniquely positioned to experience.