May 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 14

WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION
How Park and Recreation Departments
Are Using Technology to Strengthen Local
Communities
By Brian Stapleton
T
he coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic proved to be a generational
community disrupter. Regarding local government service
delivery, arguably, no department was as intrinsically altered as
parks and recreation. With communities instructed to shelter in
place and administrative leaders diversified in a remote work environment,
park and recreation teams' reliable in-person and on-site workflow model
was wholly interrupted. It also was revitalized - by technology.
set, we've
Three years post-pandemic onboth
recovered
and
adapted. Once again, our ballfields
are full of tiny cleats and celebratory
chants, but online yoga and
virtual
heritage celebrations
are
now permanent parts of community
activity catalogs. What follows
are four of the most impactful ways
park and recreation leaders now
use technology to strengthen their
communities through meaningful
connections.
Leveraging Snapchat to
Promote Local Events
Gen Z and millennial Snapchat
users share a common personality
trait: they regularly experience what
experts refer to as FOMO (fear of
missing out). It is a social perspective
that motivates young social
media users to attend social events
because they don't want to be the
only ones from their network not in
attendance (and not sharing snaps).
By promoting events to a FOMOmotivated
youth network, park and
recreation leaders are embracing
the ideal platform to connect young
people with like-minded peers.
14 Parks & Recreation | MAY 2 0 2 3
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
The Wi-Fi Enabled
Smart Park
Smart parks allow digitally tethered
residents (both adults and children)
to remain connected to their critical
applications while benefiting
from being outdoors by providing
easily accessible Wi-Fi. In this way,
it removes barriers for those who
want in-person socialization but
also want access to their messaging
apps, streaming digital music services
and social media platforms.
Municipalities are benefitting from
higher park attendance and community
engagement by investing in
smart parks. As a bonus, connected
visitors share and post photos, videos
and messages from their time at
the park to social followers, serving
as free marketing.
Digital Kiosks and
Mobile Apps
Some smart parks also offer on-site
digital displays and mobile apps that
promote park and facility features
and allow people to easily register
for upcoming events and activities
while such offerings are top of mind.
Such park kiosks and apps also can
serve as adolescent education tools
and help younger generations learn
to appreciate the history and evolution
of their community. Consider
interactive displays and apps that
walk users through the history of
your community, provide fun facts
about local plants and animals, and
offer interactive games and quizzes
that are all relevant to the park in
which the user is located.
Esports Competitions
With COVID-19
temporarily
restricting
team sports participation
and group activities, esports leagues
and events have boomed in communities
across the country, with the
total market value of the esports industry
exceeding $1 billion in 2021
(tinyurl.com/3j2kz2uh). This meteoric
rise in esports means the chance
to bring an engaging, virtual program
into your activity catalog that
unites gamers of all physical ability
levels through technology.
Final Words of Advice
The traditional vision of parks and
recreation is evolving as the needs
and interests of residents evolve
and change. Adopting even a few
small technology offerings in your
local parks and recreation facilities
opens up the potential for greater
facility adoption, revenue and
engagement with a wide range of
generations.
Brian Stapleton is Associate General
Manager at CivicPlus®.
http://tinyurl.com/3j2kz2uh
May 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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