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citizens. While the empirical evidence is relatively sparse in support 
of the case for the psychological and emotional need for outdoor 
recreation, it is clear that the demand for this type of activity is very 
strong and is rapidly increasing. This suggests that the best way to 
plan for recreation is to adopt a user-oriented approach that will 
provide the recreational facilities that are presently used and pre- 
ferred by those secking satisfying leisure behavior. Having recognized 
this, we can now turn to a brief look at the patterns of recreational 
demands in this country during the recent past. There is unanimous 
consent, on the basis of these trends, that demands for outdoor 
recreation in the future will far surpass that which we have witnessed 
to date. 
The demand is surging, spurred by increases in the causal factors of 
population, disposable income, leisure, mobility, education, and over- 
all standard of living. The Outdoor Recreation Resources Review 
Commission, in a report to Congress in 1962, entitled “Outdoor Ree- 
reation for America,’ noted and documented these causal factors 
and their influence on recreational demands. It was the conclusion of 
this report that, as the levels of these factors rose, the growth of out- 
door recreation demand would accelerate even faster, and in a sus- 
tained fashion, than the net increase in population. Dr. Marion 
Clawson,”® in an article entitled ‘“The Crisis in Outdoor Recreation,” 
concluded that the projections of these principal factors to the year 
2000 point to a tenfold increase in the demand for outdoor recreation 
from 1950 levels. A report of more recent survey information on rec- 
reation trends up until 1965 has indicated ‘‘present and anticipated 
increases in major summertime outdoor recreation activities far sur- 
pass predictions made by the ORRRC in 1960.’ °° This study pre- 
dicted that, by the year 2000, participation in the major forms of 
summertime outdoor activities will be four times greater than it was in 
1960. 
The patterns of demand as expressed in participation rates for the 
United States in 1960 (ORRRC Study Report No. 19-1962) reveal 
some major trends. The first major trend of note is the generally 
higher level of participation rates and user days in the Northeast in 
the most popular activities such as picnicking, driving, walking, 
swimming, and playing sports. In metropolitan areas of this region, 
more people spend more time in these activities, even though in the 
inner cities (where there is most need for more outdoor. recreation) 
one finds the lowest rates of participation associated with low income 
and poorly-educated people living in oppressive surroundings. Out- 
door recreation does not play an important role in the leisure time of 
these groups due to the lack of nearby facilities and the lack of money 
and adequate transportation to get to more distant areas. Both of 
these observations indicate that outdoor opportunities are most 
urgently needed near metropolitan areas; yet this is where available 
land is the scarcest. It is probable that at least 80 percent of the 
population will live in these urbanized areas by the turn of the century. 
These people will have the greatest need for outdoor recreation, and 
28 Department of the Interior, Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, “Outdoor Recreation for America,” a 
rene 10" aie President and the Congress by the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission, 
anuary ; 
20 Marion Clawson, ‘‘The Crisis in Outdoor Recreation,” American Forests, March/April 1959. 
80 Department of the Interior, Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, ‘‘Outdoor Recreation Trends,” April 1967. 
