Parks and recreation systems have evolved in remarkable ways over the past two decades. No longer just playgrounds and ballfields, parks and open spaces have become recognized as essential green infrastructure with the potential to contribute to community resiliency and sustainability. To capitalize on this potential, the parks and recreation system planning process must evolve as well. In Parks and Recreation System Planning, David Barth provides a new, step-by-step approach to creating parks systems that generate greater economic, social, and environmental benefits. Barth first advocates that parks and recreation systems should no longer be regarded as isolated facilities, but as elements of an integrated public realm. Each space should be designed to generate multiple community benefits. Next, he presents a new approach for parks and recreation planning that is integrated into community-wide issues. Chapters outline each step—evaluating existing systems, implementing a carefully crafted plan, and more—necessary for creating a successful, adaptable system. Throughout the book, he describes initiatives that are creating more resilient, sustainable, and engaging parks and recreation facilities, drawing from his experience consulting in more than 100 communities across the U.S. Parks and Recreation System Planning meets the critical need to provide an up-to-date, comprehensive approach for planning parks and recreation systems across the country. This is essential reading for every parks and recreation professional, design professional, and public official who wants their community to thrive.

This study shows how to prepare park and recreation plan that meets the need of the people. It integrates systems and site planning with state-of-the-arty exameplesexamples that highlight the recreational portentials of cities in the 1980's.

Parks and open space are not just beautiful, they are economically beneficial, too. But parks advocates and planners must be able to demonstrate that open spaces and recreational areas contribute to the community's economic vitality before local officials will lend their support. Securing and keeping political and financial support often requires repositioning a proposed project or facility in the minds of elected officials and other decision makers. This report explains how to measure and report the positive economic impact of parks and open space on the financial health of local businesses and government. Impact studies, graphs, charts, and other aids included in the report show how these contributions more than compensate for local tax dollars spent on acquiring, upgrading, and maintaining parks and other outdoor recreational areas. For example, parks planners can use a variety of economic impact measures, including sales, personal income, and employment, to show the positive economic effect on a community of visitors to parks and related attractions. Repositioning is a difficult, long-term process that requires changing entrenched public and bureaucratic attitudes and practices. Nonetheless, repositioning parks issues--aligning them with local economic development efforts--is both necessary and feasible. Once linked politically and psychologically with economic vitality and development, parks and open space projects are far more likely to find favor and sustained support from both elected officials and the general public. The report describes three different strategies that parks planners and agencies may use, alone or in combination, to reposition parks issues. This report is sponsored in part by the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the American Planning Association's City Parks Forum. It is the second in a series of three reports by the City Parks Forum. The first report is Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PAS 497/498) by Alexander Garvin.