Examining the Conflicting Relationship between U.S. National Parks and Host Communities: Understanding a Community’s Diverging Perspectives

Stakeholders' differing perspectives on cultural resources significantly shape their interactions with urban historical national parks and influence attitudes toward park management. This study highlights how diverse community views, when organized using the Progress Triangle conflict management framework—focusing on substance, procedure, and relationship—can both create tension and offer pathways for collaboration. Through 32 interviews analyzed via content analysis, researchers identified that reconciling these divergent perspectives through participatory approaches could enhance park management effectiveness, particularly in contexts like San Antonio Missions National Historical Park where urban and rural dynamics intersect.

Lee, J. H., Matarrita-Cascante, D., Xu, Y., & Schuett, M. (2018). Examining the Conflicting Relationship between U.S. National Parks and Host Communities: Understanding a Community’s Diverging Perspectives. Sustainability, 10(10), 3667. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103667