Perceptions of National Parks and the Gateway Arch

Keywords: national park, protected area, gateway arch, name, naming designation, redesignation
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 32

Abstract

The redesignation of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial to the Gateway Arch National Park in 2018 by the Trump administration spurred debate about the distinct naming designations utilized by the National Park Service (NPS) in the United States. Many feel that the naming designation of ‘National Park’ is unbefitting of the Gateway Arch due to the lack of “nature” and its urban setting in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. Others find the NPS naming designations to be insignificant and celebrate the redesignation as a boost of attention and tourism to the site. In this study, I seek to better understand how people perceive and value ‘National Parks’ by surveying adult U.S. residents in the “National Park Service (Fan Page)” group on the social network Facebook. These results will inform a coding analysis of the collective perceptions of ‘National Parks’. These results, in addition to the historical background of the NPS system and the Gateway Arch, is crucial in understanding the critical disconnect between what ‘National Parks’ represent and the current designation of Gateway Arch National Park.