The Environmental Design Lab has received a Student Engagement Grant from the Lakeshore Nature Preserve!
Our project, Assessing the accessibility of Lakeshore Nature Preserve for individuals with mobility issues using GPS monitoring and GIS, will assess the accessibility of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. As the updated Lakeshore Nature Preserve’s Master Plan seeks to provide access for all, our lab will be supporting the goals of the Master Plan by initiating novel methodology in assessing their initiatives to make the Preserve user-friendly for all.
The collaboration will explore where older adults and individuals with mobility issues/disabilities choose to travel, the length of chosen trails, and the factors along the paths that may influence individuals to travel them.
While the Master Plan addresses anticipated visitors and their use of the Preserve through self-reported surveys, understanding the current pedestrian movement will provide more accurate data on park usage. Our project will be implementing both a survey, as well as GPS monitors for participants to wear during their visit to the Preserve.
Our participant recruitment will take place in early May.
Feature Image: The sun shines through the colors of the fall leaves along the Howard Temin Lakeshore Path near Picnic Point at the University of Wisconsin-Madison during autumn on October 26, 2021. (Photo by Bryce Richter / UW-Madison)