Stuart Ord

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Being relevant to communities into the future
Stuart Ord Regional Manger, Melbourne
Region Parks Victoria
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(No Transcript)
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The Wider Societal Context

• Living patterns - highly urbanised societies
• Aging (but active) population
• Increasing gap between haves and have nots
• More educated and articulate community
• Increasing multiculturalism
• Changing work patterns ? increased stress
• Impact of technology
• Sedentary occupations
• Declining levels of physical activity
• High levels of family breakdown
• Declining social connectedness

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• Abundant evidence is available to substantiate
  the views of city planners, the medical
  profession and psychologists that proper outdoor
  recreation has a most beneficial effect on the
  health, morals, and business efficiency of
  communities, and consequently on the national
  life.
• Metropolitan Town Planning Commission Report
• Melbourne, 1929

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Introducing a new park management direction

• A new approach
• Healthy Parks conserving, protecting and
  enhancing the environmental and cultural values
  of parks
• sustain
• Healthy People broad societal benefits
  associated with the range of experiences
  available through parks
• Parks Victoria is in the process of
  repositioning and redefining itself as a provider
  of services with fundamental societal benefits
  rather than a custodian of natural values alone.

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Commissioned Research

• On behalf of Parks Victoria, Deakin University
  conducted a research project titled, The Health
  Benefit of Contact with Nature in a Parks
  Context.
• What is Health?
• A state of complete physical, mental, and social
  wellbeing .. and not merely the absence of
  disease or infirmity
• World Health Organisation 1946
• Wellbeing includes
• - satisfactory human relationships
• - meaningful occupation
• - opportunities for contact with nature,
  creative expression, and making a positive
  contribution to human society
• Furnass 1996

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Values of a park
?
ECONOMIC
FACILITIESgt PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
SAFETY
ATTRACTION
EDUCATION
LANDSCAPE gt MENTAL WELLBEING
BIODIVERSITY
SOCIAL COHESION
NATURAL PROCESSES gt ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
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Getting Victorians engaged and connected

• Slogan introduced with TV, radio print
  promotion support
• A festival showcased Victorias parks
• Local community events including The World's
  Greatest Pram Stroll
• Activity brochures and publications

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Leadership and building strategic alliances

• Health Sector Endorsement support from the
  Health Industry
• Expert advisor champion
• Posters and brochures to GPs surgeries
  state-wide
• Community Support
• Creation of People and Parks Foundation Parks
  Forum
• National/International focus to encourage
  external partners to adopt HPHP

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Living it Parks Victorias staff

• Endorsement by Parks Victoria staff
• Uniforms, cars, signage, information
• Committed to community participation
• Initiatives emerging at the park level
• Indigenous Cross-Cultural Awareness and Learning
  Exchange
• Analogous culturally and linguistically diverse
  learning program
• Supporting staff through work/life balance, EO,
  OHS, peer support programs

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The Road AheadBuilding Healthy People

• Parks Victoria is
• continuing to care for the diverse natural and
  cultural values
• identifying and responding more effectively to
  potential risks
• providing opportunities for people to experience
  parks
• Increased volunteer activity
• Programs in partnership with external partners
  that address wider societal issues
• New research to quantify the contribution parks
  make to physical and mental health and social
  well-being
• Help address issues such as ageing population,
  increased obesity, changing recreational needs
  and social isolation

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The Road AheadEnsuring Healthy Parks

• The future of natural values management
• Weed and pest animal programs
• Partnerships to address land issues
• Address the impacts of urban growth corridors
• Landscape scale conservation strategies
• Increase capacity of parks to cope with climate
  change

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How do you build relevance of parks to the
community?

• Start thinking from the outsidein, rather than
  the inside-out!
• Programs and opportunities to meet societal needs
• Partnerships with agencies better equipped to
  meet societal needs
• Promote parks from a user perspective what do
  they want
• Build a constituency gt advocacy gt champions gt
  political influence

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Healthy Parks Healthy People Congress 11-16 April
2010Melbourne, Australia

• The International Healthy Parks Healthy People
  Congress will explore how nature significantly
  contributes to our wellbeing and broader societal
  benefits.
• Participants will come from many different
  sectors including urban planning, community
  development, physical and mental health, tourism,
  education and park management.

www.healthyparkshealthypeoplecongress.org
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Stuart Ord Regional Manager Melbourne
Metropolitan Region sord_at_parks.vic.gov.au http//
www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/
The Health Benefits of Contact with Nature in a
Park ContextTo access this report go to
www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/resources/mhphp/pv1.pdf
2nd Edition now available at a cost of 15
(AUD) plus postageOrder via mardie.townsend_at_deak
in.edu.au