Few documents in the environmental design literature address the relevance of parks to their constituencies. This study designs and tests an instrument for identifying inequities in neighborhood parks planning, design, and programs, with particular attention to user cultures and lifestyles. In this context, "inequity" is the allocation of resources prejudicial to or against a constituency and where such prejudice is based on age, ethnicity, sexual behavior, homelessness. income, or other criteria inconsistent with the principles avowed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

Factors leading to inequity are defined and grouped in contextual element-sets. The instrument is constructed using the sets to determine numerical scores for park equability. Park user surveys and field analysis forms are created, surveys and analyses conducted, and results are analyzed for reasonable applicability. The instrument -- a matrix -- assesses completed parks, allows comparison of various parks, and identifies inequities within each park; the survey assesses constituent response to park policies, planning process, designs, and built sites. Factors addressed include activity/facility options, indoor and outdoor facility and vegetation maintenance condition, Jacobian analysis (site design and neighborhood fit), accessibility, and park location. Surveys address user age, gender, homed/ homeless status, disabilities, travel time to park, activities, participation in planning, usage frequency, and dis/approval comments. Survey results are converted to percentages and represented as bar graphs. Field assessment results are represented as numerical scores.

The instrument successfully identifies inequities related to age, ethnicity, homelessness, income, and gender within subject parks, and reasonably compares subject parks to one another. Results identify particular inequities that may be addressed by planners, designers, public officials, and constituents. Broader survey samples and incorporation of numerically-rated survey results into the instrument are recommended.