Articles
Seeking Alternative Funding Sources
As one final project before I retired from the city of Elko New Market, Minn., I was asked to scan the nation for potential revenue sources for evaluation, and make recommendations to diversify our current revenue base for future park projects.
A True Brand Fan
It takes a lot of effort and planning to stand out in today’s world full of people constantly being treated as potential customers. Studies show the average person is exposed to roughly 4,000 marketing messages every day, and the number is growing.
A Visual Identity Refresh
Since 2020, state parks have seen massive upticks in visitors. The pandemic forced people to self-reflect and find new ways and places to interact.
Ensuring Equitable Access
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, technology holds a paramount position in the functioning of local governments, influencing every facet of their operations. From streamlining administrative tasks to enhancing civic engagement, technology assists in modernizing and serving communities more efficiently.
Diversity, Equality, Inclusion
With many changes in programming, ADA-access, and opportunities to inclusively serve all members of a diverse community, a paradigm shift has occurred, and it’s time that it is recognized in the way parks are designed.
More Heart Than Most
At the center of Geauga County, Ohio, along the main artery Route 44, lies a new park with more heart than most. Veterans Legacy Woods quickly gained recognition as the county’s 27th park and its first dedicated to U.S. veterans.
For The Sake Of Local Life And Culture
Visitors to Horseshoe Bay Nature Park are welcomed at the entrance by a cedar coyote fence bearing the park’s distinctive logo: a purple Texas thistle nestled in the curve of a horseshoe. It’s a fitting symbol for a place whose existence bridges the past and future and strengthens the ties between thriving ecosystems and thriving communities.
The Master Planning Mindset
Whether a master-planning idea emerges from public-outreach efforts, community initiatives, or common needs, an idea takes hold and exploration ensues. These flashes of brilliance may have significant impacts on the built environment, but where to begin?
Moakley Models The Way
Parks and open space function as critical infrastructure for public health as well as for mitigating and adapting to climate change. This is especially evident in island environments, where there is limited vegetation, paved surfaces, and dense development.
Point To The Possibilities
Water, food, air, and shelter are essential for survival. But to thrive instead of just surviving, a person needs more, such as sleep, clothing, and education.
Gone To The Dogs
For years many communities have offered places for people to run, play, and have fun, but now many agencies are hearing the call to provide safe, accessible dog parks, too. This shift is not a new trend, but continues to build.
Customized Splash Pad Attracts Edmonton Community
Kinsmen Park Splash Pad is a unique, completely custom manufactured splash pad located within Queen Elizabeth Park, in the heart of the Edmonton’s River Valley, on the south side of the North Saskatchewan River. This highly visual waterpark is extremely colorful, with spray features uniquely designed and custom manufactured to provide a nature and wildlife theme, reflecting the natural beauty surrounding the park.
Simple Is Smart
Designs that appear simple and resolved are often the result of a painstakingly detailed process. While a park shelter at Luuwit View Park in Portland, Ore., appears to be a simple collection of triangular shapes, there is a complexity behind the presentation.
Shoring Up The Steep Banks At Levingston Cove
One of only a few public parks along the shores of Crystal Lake, Louise Levingston Cove is a linear, half-acre public park located in a residential neighborhood. Crystal Lake, and Levingston Cove in particular, is a place of nostalgia, where people learned to fish as kids, launched kayaks, or simply enjoyed some alone time, taking in spectacular views.
Help Us Celebrate Our 200th Webinar!
Our 200th webinar is coming up at the end of the month and we want you to help us celebrate! There are two ways you can take part in the festivities. We appreciate and THANK YOU for your support!
Grow food, friendships, and opportunities
Community gardens are increasingly appreciated as urban amenities, where social isolation—both from standardized-housing tract design and from COVID-19 pandemic restrictions—can be relieved. For example, the community of Rancho Mission Viejo in southeast Orange County, Calif., advertises “Get closer to nature and neighbors with all the elements to grow and thrive.”
Waterfront park improvements aim to create community gathering spaces
Casablanca Waterfront Park is a dynamic park that offers visitors a diverse range of experiences with spectacular views of Lake Ontario. The park is in the town of Grimsby, and the surrounding area is becoming an upscale, desired location.
TPL 2023 ParkScore Report: Parks and Healthcare – A New and Growing Playbook
Trust for Public Land announced today that Washington, DC, was rated the nation’s best big-city park system by the 2023 ParkScore index. Saint Paul, Minnesota, placed second, Minneapolis climbed to third, and Irvine, California, surged to fourth. Irvine climbed four places over 2022’s eighth-place finish and reached the top five for the first time in ParkScore index history. The ParkScore index evaluates park systems in the 100 largest U.S. cities.
Golf Season: Stay Safe With Golf Cars by Understanding These Seven Safety Tips
Alexandria, VA – With spring and summer comes a renewed interest in getting outside and hitting the golf course. As golf cars and personal transport vehicles (PTV), become increasingly popular with consumers on and off the course, it’s important to keep safety in mind when driving and riding in them, says the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), an international trade association representing manufacturers and suppliers of outdoor power equipment, small engines, battery power systems, portable generators, utility and PTVs, and golf cars.
Stone Soup
“Stone Soup” is a European folk story in which hungry strangers, carrying nothing but a cooking pot filled with water and a stone arrive in a town and convince each of the townspeople to share a small amount of their food to make a meal that everyone enjoys. It is a lesson on the value of sharing and the potential synergy borne of collaboration.