Articles
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.
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.
Skanska Completes Transformative Project Coachman Park in Downtown Clearwater
Skanska USA, a leading construction and development firm, announces the delivery of the highly anticipated Coachman Park, a transformative waterfront redevelopment in Downtown Clearwater, Florida that is creating a world-class outdoor destination that will serve both locals and visitors.
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.
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.
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.
Fundamentals Of Sports Park Design
The Sports Ranch at Sommers Bend, located in Temecula, Calif., opened to the public in February 2022. The city-owned and –operated, 20-acre, $11.8-million park was a turn-key project constructed by the developers of the Sommers Bend master-planned community (Woodside Homes of Southern California and Wingsweep Corporation), part of a larger development agreement with the city that also included roads, trails, and other public improvements.
An Invitation To Join The Conversation
No two parks are alike—and that’s a good thing. The features that become beloved in one neighborhood might sit unused in another.
The View From A Rooftop Park
San Francisco is known for its beautiful parks and landscapes. A few that come to mind for both residents and visitors are the Presidio, Crissy Field, Golden Gate Park, Dolores Park, and McLaren Park.
The Best Of Both Worlds
Coming soon to Park Forest, Ill., Somonauk Nature Adventure Park combines adventure and nature in one park-redevelopment strategy. Planned renovations for the 16-acre park include construction of a two-acre pond with native, prairie, and emergent wetland, recreational fishing, and kayaking.
Destination: Waterloo Park West
The city of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, installed its only splash pad facility in the early 1990s on the east side of Waterloo Park. Called Lions Lagoon, the pad was constructed over a former outdoor pool.
Packed With Potential
Years ago, in the small city of Monona, Wis., the citizens wondered if they could develop a waterfront attraction—given that most of the city’s water access already had been developed. And the city’s neighboring, much larger state capital, Madison, had laid claim to other potential waterfront sites.
Is There A Future In The Past?
Nestled in a quiet residential neighborhood in Long Beach, Calif., are 4.7 acres of Spanish, Mexican and American history, where families helped transform southern California from its ranching
Here To Spray
Known as a vacation destination to many, the city of St. Petersburg, Fla., is nestled on a peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. To those who call it home, the “Sunshine City” boasts a
The Soothing Sounds Of Water
Community parks have never been needed as much as in recent times. Meeting other people while taking a stroll or stopping to watch water flow from a fountain has helped offer meaningful connections in this time of such isolation.
Planning For Flexibility
Parks and recreation leaders across the country are trying to figure out how to provide a wider variety of programming options to satisfy as many sectors of a community as possible. That means cities
Create A Hub In Parks
What do grassy hillsides, dog parks, playgrounds, picnic pavilions, and sports fields have in common? Certainly they provide places to play, but they also provide a reason for people to get together.
Park Design With Maintenance In Mind
Park designs should be unique, and should also provide amazing experiences for people to enjoy. This is what designers want to achieve when they begin a project. The park-design process can include obtaining
The Center Of Attention
What is one of the most satisfying achievements for a park and rec professional? How about bringing joy and excitement to the community you serve? It’s even better when a project also improves the health and