Transportation, (Im)Mobility, and the National Parks
Abstract:
<p>For an increasingly urban American population, the National Parks System (NPS) offers an opportunity to visit the outdoors, see stunning vistas, explore wilderness areas with a chance to see wildlife, or just have a picnic. However, as the population has increased, the pressure on both the parks and the infrastructure necessary to access them also has increased. Privately owned vehicles comprise the major share of travel modes both to and within national parks, creating problems of traffic congestion and air and noise pollution. These problems, in turn, have raised issues about how much visitation the parks can handle without degrading either the environment or the experience, and what alternative transportation options should be created to address these concerns. This colloquium will present how people get to the park, how they move around within the park, and the impacts of this movement. A case study of national parks will be carried out to illustrate the variety of transport options that can exist in each park and potential solutions along with the concept of social carrying capacity.</p>
Keywords: National Park System, Transportation, Mobility, Sustainability, Carrying Capacity
Authors:
Selima Sultana, University of North Carolina Greensboro; Submitting Author / Primary Presenter
Joe Weber, University of Alabama; Co-Author (this author will not present)