December 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 17

WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION
Parks and Recreation
Promotes Economic Vitality
By Mark Sheldon
A
remarkable bipartisan agreement is sweeping all 50 states. There
seems to be an undeniable connection between a community's
desirability, growth, and the expansion and improvement of
parks and recreation and open space. From the Rockies to the
Bayou and from the East Coast to the West Coast, investment in both new and
existing parks, as well as new and existing open space, has never been higher.
Today's thinking is not only to focus
on the outdoors, but also to focus
on indoor recreation offerings.
Park districts nationwide are building,
rebuilding and expanding both
outdoor and " community center "
indoor activities and programs as
well. The connection that is perhaps
least understood is the tie between
parks, recreation and open space
and the growth and stability of the
community.
Economic Development
NRPA and the George Mason University
Center for Regional Analysis
explored the role that park amenities
play in 21st century regional
economic development (tinyurl.
com/28ke4bu4).
Their
findings
indicate that perceived quality
of life runs directly parallel with
high-quality park and recreation
opportunities. All the following
positives occur with the expansion
or improvement of parks, recreation
and open space opportunities:
* Companies/employers with highquality
businesses are attracted
and/or retained.
* New residents are attracted.
* Investments in improving a community's
quality of life create a
virtuous cycle. High-quality-oflife
locations
attract
workers,
which attract employers, which,
in turn, attract even more investments
and jobs.
The conclusion here is essentially
the same one Kevin Costner's character
arrives at in Field of Dreams,
" If you build it, they will come. "
Sadly, the 2017 NRPA report,
Local Government Officials' Perceptions
of Parks and Recreation, revealed
that many local officials " do
not perceive [park and recreation]
agencies as an important contributor
to
their
biggest
day-to-day
concern: economic development "
(tinyurl.com/4uvaf8dh). This view
is in direct conflict with the average
park and recreation department's
views, and it's in direct conflict
with the mindset of proactive communities
like the City of Iowa City,
Iowa. Juli Seydell Johnson, City
of Iowa City director of parks and
recreation, says, " We are supported
by the city council. The council has
made a close tie with Iowa City's
parks and recreation goals and the
city council's goals. " Communities
like the City of Iowa City are actively
involved with their parks.
The Journal of Economic Geography
2010 in a report, titled " The Rural
Growth Trifecta: Outdoor Amenities,
Creative Class and Entrepreneurial
Context, " notes that places with
landscape (i.e., woods, water), climate
(i.e., sunshine) and recreational
appeal (i.e., tourist attractions) are
more likely to grow through creative
and entrepreneurial industries
(tinyurl.com/2nu4fz2b).
Modern parks and recreation is
just as much about " open space " as
it is about playground equipment,
baseball diamonds and tennis courts.
In fact, it's becoming more about
" open space " all the time.
Findings indicate that perceived
quality of life runs directly parallel with
high-quality park and recreation opportunities.
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Parks & Recreation | DECEMBER 2 0 2 3
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
PHOTO COURTESTY OF ROMTEC, INC.
http://tinyurl.com/4uvaf8dh http://tinyurl.com/28ke4bu4 http://tinyurl.com/28ke4bu4 http://tinyurl.com/2nu4fz2b
December 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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