Integration and recreation, where two debates meet : The cases of Midden-Delfland and Poptapark Delft

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2009-04-09
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en
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In current research and policy regarding recreation, only little attention is paid to allochtones. This is remarkable because allochtones are an increasingly large group in the Dutch society, especially in the Randstad. Where former guest-workers were only temporary migrants who would leave the country, today’s allochtones are here to stay permanently or at least for a long term. This makes allochtones an important group to look at when making new recreational policy. At the moment there is a tendency going on to move recreational areas outside the city, to create a compact city. The expensive locations on which city parks are currently situated can then be sold and used for placement of residences or office buildings. Because hardly any research had been done about the perspective of allochtones regarding different kinds of recreation in- and outside the city it is hard to make sure that these recreational areas appeal to them. This research has sought to provide such insights devoting one it its mean questions to this. Furthermore, this research has also focussed on the link between recreation and integration. Linking recreation and integration is not very common. By making and exploring the link between these two debates, this research hopes to provide new insights that may have an influence on the way we look at our society. According to theory (Veenman, 1994), integration consists of different elements; orientation (attitude), formal participation (institutions) and informal participation (social contacts). Recreational areas are ideal areas to establish social contacts with strangers because they provide a neutral setting in which nobody has a specific role or is placed within a certain hierarchy. This makes it easier for people to talk to a stranger about things like schooling systems, than would be the case at work for instance. The aim of the second research question was to find out how recreation of allochtones in- and outside the city influences opportunities for integration into the Dutch society. To answer this question it was also important to establish what the meaning of the two different recreational areas is to allochtones. As a difference in meaning can also have an impact on the integration opportunities of an area.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen