Making Places

Parks do a tremendous service to the communities that surround them. They provide a place to relax, to play, to get active, to interact with friends, families and community members, to see a concert—to get involved, in big ways and small.

But to do this, they need to be designed well, taking into account the wants and needs of the people they serve. More and more, park planners are concerned with providing a multigenerational experience, creating places that are increasingly inclusive to people of all ages, all abilities, all backgrounds.

In this supplement, we take a look at some of the best ways to accomplish this task, from best practices and approaches to the initial planning of a park space through new trends in playground design, as well as how to best select site furnishings to match your space.

If you've got plans to create a new park or you want to turn an existing park into a more effective space, whether your plans and budgets are big or small, we hope you'll find ideas and takeaways here that can help make an effective place for your park community to come together for recreation, competition, fitness and fun.

Cheers!

Emily Tipping
Editorial Director,
Recreation Management
[email protected]