ROLE OF INTERPRETATION
Sustainable park and recreation development will succeed to the
degree that it anticipates and manages human experiences.
Interpretation provides the best single tool for shaping
experiences and sharing values. By providing an awareness of the
environment, values are taught that are necessary for the
protection of the environment. Sustainable design will seek to
affect not only immediate behaviors but also the long-term
beliefs and attitudes of the visitors.
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Interpretation is an educational activity that reveals meanings
and relationships through the use of original objects,
first-hand experiences, and illustrative media. It is more than
simply to communicate facts.
-- Freeman Tilden
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To achieve a sustainable park or resource-related operation:
- Visitor experiences should be based on intimate and sensory
involvement with actual natural and cultural resources. The
local culture should be included. The experiences should be
environmentally and culturally compatible and should encourage
the protection of those resources.
- Educational opportunities should include interpretation of the
systems that sustain the development as well as programs about
natural and cultural resource values of the setting.
- Site and facility design should contribute to the understanding
and interpretation of the local natural and cultural
environments.
- Interpretation should make the values of sustainability
apparent to visitors in all daily aspects of operation,
including services, retail operations, maintenance, utilities,
and waste handling. A good example should be set in all facets
of operation.
| Interpretation is the communication path that connects
visitors with the resources. Good interpretation is a bridge
leading people into new and fascinating worlds. It brings new
understanding, new insights, new enthusiasms, and new interests. |
View the Sustainable Development Values and Sustainable Development Diagram.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERPRETATION
A value-based visitor experience requires interpretation as an
essential part of the planning and design process. Interpretive
values cannot be successfully added to a development or
operation as a last-minute enhancement.
The primary interpretive resources of a site must be
identified early in the planning process. There can be no
substitute for a scientific knowledge of the resources involved;
however, interpretive opportunities can usually be identified in
the planning stages of a new development by answering the
following questions:
- What is special or unusual about the site? (Consider both the
natural and cultural aspects)
- What is particularly interesting, scenic, or photogenic about
the site?
- What do visitors come to see?
- What is fun to do? (Answers must be resource-oriented and
nonconsumptive)
- What can be done on the site that is both environmentally
sustainable and challenging?
- What resources provide particularly strong opportunities to
demonstrate the underlying value system of sustainable
development?
- What significant environmental controversies might be
illustrated using local resources?
- What experiences are currently fashionable?
- What knowledge do visitors already have about the area?
- What knowledge and attitudes do neighboring residents have
about the site and its resources?
- What messages can be offered about sustainability that visitors
can use in their everyday lives?
In addition, interpretation must be reinforced in all visitor
experiences and inherent in management's thinking and in the
relationship of the proposed development to the larger cultural
context. The value system that interpretation communicates must
pervade the entire cycle of planning, design, construction,
operations, and maintenance.
INTEGRATION OF INTERPRETATION INTO
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Visitor experiences must be based on actual knowledge of
resources that are environmentally sustainable and influence
human values, thus protecting the overall environment. Table 1
provides a list of general goals and specific examples to
facilitate the integration of interpretation into sustainable
development.
View Table 1: Interpretation and Sustainable Development
