In Question 4 of site specific portions of the survey, respondents were asked whether they often drive past a given site. The graph at the right shows how residents value sites that are moderately driven past slightly more than sites that are infrequently or very frequently seen as residents drive around town.

If respondents reported a negative response, their answer was assigned a value of -1. If they reported positively, their answer received a value of 1. Cumulative responses were added to arrive at a score for the degree to which each site is often driven past. To normalize the different amounts of comment received for each survey site, scores were scaled.

Interpreting the Graph

The black line shows scaled, weighted scores for all 23 survey sites. Beginning on the left with the most frequently driven past site, the black line declines as it represents sites that are progressively less driven past. The colored lines show first degree polynomial trend lines for the three valuation questions that are asked for each site (Question 5, Question 6, and Question 8). The trend lines show that residents value sites that are moderately driven past more than sites that are either infrequently or very frequently driven past.

Conclusion

This finding is useful for openspace planning purposes. It is an indicator that residents prefer places they see occasionally. Slight rarity increases valuation, while sites that people very rarely see are not as desirable. Highly valued sites are moderately driven past. When planning for the management of future openspace acquisitions, it is important to consider how the site fits into circulation patterns around Charlestown. While easily accessible sites are preferred, excessive roads or points of access to protected openspace may not be desired.