The Santa Cruz Riverwalk Usage Study, ongoing since August 2014, establishes data on who visits the Santa Cruz Riverwalk, the two-mile long city park that lines the banks of the lower San Lorenzo River, and how visitors use the park. A team of dedicated volunteers visit the three different sites along the Riverwalk monthly and count the number of visitors they see, document their recreational activities and observe visitors’ demographic data.
Trained volunteers visit the Riverwalk at pre-assigned days and times for a 30-minute study period to measure all observed activities. Based on the 37 surveys collected in 2016-17 study period so far, an average of 80 people were observed per survey partaking in positive activities, a 7% increase from the 75 people per survey observed in the 2015-16 study. Notably, we’ve measured a 17% year over year increase in the average number of people observed per survey visiting the Riverwalk on weekends, indicating an upswing in the number of people visiting the park for leisure activities.
If you’re interested in assisting with the ongoing Riverwalk Usage Study, sign up to volunteer! We need your help for 30 minutes once per month at 12:00 noon on a Thursday, Saturday or Sunday. If you have this availability and are willing to give half an hour of your time each month to participate in the Riverwalk Usage Study, sign up here. We thank you for your help!