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Users' perception as a tool to improve urban beach planning and management
Omar Cervantes1, Ileana Espejel, Evarista Arellano
1Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, UABC, Km 103 Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, C.P. 22800, Ensenada, B.C., Mexico.
Environmental Management
|April 17, 2008
Summary
Beach user preferences significantly impact recreational beach quality assessments. Understanding these preferences, particularly for services and infrastructure, is key for effective beach planning and management.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Tourism Management
- Urban Planning
Background:
- Beach user satisfaction is crucial for successful recreational areas.
- Physiographically similar beaches can vary greatly in socioeconomic and cultural aspects, influencing user experience.
- Existing beach evaluation methods may not adequately incorporate user-specific preferences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a method for evaluating recreational urban beaches based on user preferences.
- To identify key factors influencing beach user satisfaction across different socioeconomic contexts.
- To provide a weighted scoring system that reflects user-perceived beach quality.
Main Methods:
- Utilized factor analysis and cluster analysis on survey data from 565 beach users across four beaches (three in Mexico, one in the USA).
- Developed an 'ideal' recreational urban beach benchmark for comparison.
- Applied cluster linkage distance as a weighting factor to user preferences for services, activities, and conditions.
Main Results:
- Identified three main user preference clusters: services and infrastructure, recreational activities, and beach conditions.
- Mazatlán and Oceanside received high scores due to adequate infrastructure and services.
- Ensenada and Rosarito received lower scores attributed to a lack of infrastructure and services.
Conclusions:
- The proposed evaluation method, incorporating user-weighted preferences, offers a more accurate reflection of beach quality.
- User perception of services and infrastructure is a significant determinant of overall beach satisfaction.
- This approach can enhance beach planning by prioritizing user-centric improvements.
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