The implementation of the community parks policy within a Metropolitan municipality in the Western Cape

Abstract

Community Parks are intended as a pivotal platform that serves a broad spectrum of communities through providing opportunities for their members to enjoy recreation. In 2015 the selected municipality introduced a Community Parks Development Policy. The desired outcomes of the policy are twofold. Firstly, to develop parks that satisfactorily address the needs of communities. Secondly, an equally important aim is to ensure the long-term sustainability of park developments, particularly in situations in which capital and operating resources are limited. This study was undertaken to investigate if the Community Parks Development Policy is being implemented efficiently and, thus, effectively serves its intended purposes. The investigation was essentially conducted to improve service delivery that will create social cohesion within communities, create and maintain healthy communities and, ultimately, be instrumental in marginalising antisocial behaviour and crime. The study took the form of structured interviews, the object of which was to formulate recommendations as to how the Community Parks Development Policy can best be implemented to maximise its potential capacity. The research population in this study included management from the different levels within the Directorate Community Service and Health of the selected municipality. The research participants also included are the chairpersons of the Ratepayers Associations within the designated sub-district. The study focused on 48 community parks in ward 25 and 37 community parks in ward 28. The findings of this study revealed that communities have not been engaged in the design of community parks, and the municipality’s approach does not suit the unique needs of the community. It is recommended that the municipality put measures in place to improve the implementation of the Community Parks Development Policy, introduce strategies to improve community participation in policy implementation on parks and cooperate with the community to address community challenges in the maintenance of community parks.