Rejuvenating Neighborhoods and Communities Through Parks—A Guide To Success www.NRPA.org National Recreation and Park Association © 2011 All Rights Reserved 20 • Stakeholder meetings These meetings are appropriate for the purpose of securing input from many community interests in an efficient manner Representatives attend from various community groups with a stake in the issue or project Representative stakeholder groups may be formed at the beginning of the process and meet regularly as the project progresses to contribute ongoing feedback • Focus groups. A much smaller group of individuals—between six and 10—are invited to participate because of their interest or knowledge of a particular topic These meetings lead to greater and more specific understanding of an issue or topic, but they are not intended to represent the views of an entire community Surveys There are several different types of surveys Their variations can include many of the following • Targeted group of respondents These are individuals who have the specific types of insight you are seeking • Method of delivery Forms of delivery can be mail, phone interviews, online, or face to face • Need for decisionmaking Statistically valid surveys give decision-makers information representative of the entire targeted group of respondents On the other hand, participant surveys or face-to-face surveys (often referred to as “intercept” surveys) represent only the views of those being interviewed • Resources. Different types of survey approaches come with very different price tags and time considerations Survey Choices – Representative or Local If a park project requires voter approval to secure funding, often the representative statistically valid survey method is used. But when the focus of the project is the revitalization of a specific local neighborhood, extensive sampling is not needed and likely will not be particularly useful. Survey Choices – Representative or Local The targeted group of individuals invited to respond to a survey could range from a large number, such as the general public, to a much smaller group of people who live in close proximity to the park project The method of survey delivery is most often determined by resources available and the type of engagement desired • Mail and phone surveys with representative sampling can be expensive • Online surveys generally eliminate respondents who do not have access or the ability to navigate the technology • Face-to-face surveys using volunteers to conduct intercept surveys take more time but heighten neighborhood engagement in the process Another important survey factor is the need for statistically valid information Often this consideration is dictated by funding, since representative sampling of a community can be costly Nevertheless, each situation and desired outcome related to the specific situation should be considered For example, if a park project requires voter approval to secure funding, then the statistically valid method is often used But when the focus of the project is the revitalization of a specific neighborhood, such extensive sampling is not needed and is not likely to be particularly useful
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