Outreach Media Campaign for Urban Forests
Prepared by; Danny Knuth, Mackenna Holmes, Annette Johnson, Bailey Tangen, Hannah Henricksen
Importance of Urban Forests |
Why Outreach? |
Urban forests provide a variety of benefits to cities such as increased wildlife habitation in a growingly urban world, higher property values as well as energy consumption reduction , as well as general pleasing aesthetics and opportunities for community involvement through garden parties and outdoor social gatherings. Notably, in the time of COVID-19, outdoor spaces, like urban forests, have become safe havens where people are able to socialize with a reduced risk of transmission.
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Outreach has long been used as an effective communication method between cities and its citizen. It is a way to engage with citizens, raise awareness, and motivate the community to achieve a common goal. Citizens who are informed are more likely to make and support positive decisions for urban forest. In general outreach, can be defined as any scientific communication that involves a community outside of the academic world. Outreach provides a chance for the community to come together to learn and work towards a common goal.
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A unique feature of Hopkins is the age distribution shown in the figure to the right. Hopkins has a large portion of the population within the 25-34 year old range. This corresponds quite closely to the age distribution of users of Facebook, one of Hopkins main communication pathways. 25-34 year old users represent 26.3 percent of Facebook accounts, (along with around 84% of that demographic having Facebook accounts; meaning that residents of that age are more likely to witness communication from Hopkins through Facebook than other demographics. In continuation of social media, it still remains one of the most widespread methods of communication.
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As shown on the graph 90% of citizens between the ages of 18-29 and 82% 30-49 use at least one form of social media. This is opposed to only 40% at ages of 65+. This shows that a major part of the population can be reached through social media, especially if promoted posts are used. Utilizing social media and especially Facebook can prove beneficial to Hopkins as a community communication source.
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Methods |
Findings |
We had two goals going into this project: increase community engagement, and the promotion of the city of Hopkins and their goals of creating an active and healthy urban forest. To accomplish these goals and provide accurate recommendations for Hopkins, a number of research methods were employed. These methods include literature reviews, census and demographic data research, research paper analyses, Hopkins land use research, and examination of previous outreach campaigns done by both Hopkins and other small cities.
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The research led to a number of findings, however the most important and the ones that heavily influenced our recommendations are as follows. First, although Hopkins has limited social media presence, their Facebook page is quite active and is visited often. Hopkins has a large portion of the population within the 25-34 year old range. This corresponds quite closely to the distribution of users of Facebook, one of Hopkins main communication pathways. Second, Hopkins has two active and tailorable newsletters that can help reach those who don't utilize social media. Third, demographics are one of the most important factors when designing effective outreach campaigns.
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Citizen Resources
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iNaturalist
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Tree Scavenger Hunt
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A Closer Look
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Highlighting Hopkins' Parks
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