Public open space management in Australia has changed dramatically in the last twenty years. The range of recreation activities pursued has expanded while budgets and resources have contracted, particularly in the last decade. There is now much more emphasis on efficiency and improved management. At the same time, conflict in public parks appears to have increased although not necessarily because of a higher incidence of problems. Dog owners have not been immune from these changes. Increasing restrictions have been imposed on their use of public open space either by requiring dogs to remain leashed or by outright banning. The restrictions have been imposed because of the seemingly intractable nature of the problems posed by dogs using public parks and reserves.
Many local authorities are acting positively to address these dilemmas. However in most cases they are reacting to political demands rather than addressing needs and problems in a systematic way. A lot of good design and management ideas were uncovered during the course of this Study but they are often based on unproven assumptions and principles. Part of the problem is that the whole area of urban animal management is so new. Councils are grappling with very difficult questions but lack important information and an overall framework to address them in an effective way. The time has come to re-assess established practices. This study aims to fill that gap.
Very little work of a comprehensive nature has been carried out here or overseas. A review of the literature revealed studies into isolated issues such as aggression and defecation in the public realm. There are also a number of studies of individual 'dog parks', which mostly examine the political struggles associated with their establishment (see for example Wolch and Rowe (1992) who detail the background to a 'dog park' in Los Angeles and provide useful suggestions to avoid intense confrontation in similar situations). However there has been virtually no work that addresses the needs of all members of a community, including dog owners, at the municipal or regional wide level. Harlock Jackson Pty Ltd in association with Goad Fink and Holmes (1992) considered these dilemmas in an introductory way and their report serves as the starting point for this study.