Parks provide myriad benefits—social, economic, environmental, educational and more—to the communities in which they sit. Some of the most innovative park designs seek to hit all these targets at once.

Instead of creating parks for people to go to, this project turns the idea on its head to create recreation where people live—a pilot Urban Recreation District.

In researching ideas and reading stories for this issue of Recreation Management, I kept bumping up against the idea of how humans fit. Our species has spent much of its time on earth seeking to dominate—or at least separate itself from—the natural world, while only rarely considering that humans are the natural world, too.

This Indiana wellness center was the first in the state to feature inclusive locker rooms and restrooms.

We know playgrounds are doing their job when they allow kids to take measured risks, stretching their boundaries and learning about their minds, bodies and relationships. Proper safety practices, including good surfacing and regular inspections are an essential part of the process.

In his novel Jitterbug Perfume, Tom Robbins writes, "However more abbreviated than its cousins it may look, February feels longer than any of them. It is the meanest moon of winter, all the more cruel because it will masquerade as spring, occasionally for hours at a time, only to rip off its mask with a sadistic laugh and spit icicles into every gullible face, behavior that grows quickly old."

This month, the Association of Aquatic Professionals holds its 11th annual Conference and Expo, providing an educational and networking experience for aquatic professionals in St. Pete Beach, Fla.

Two Wisconsin YMCAs made use of buildings that were already in place to create new facilities while saving construction materials.

When a popular park with plenty of trees needed a new playground solution, they found a futuristic-looking option that didn’t sacrifice the existing shade.

The year 2020 was a turbulent time in the aquatics industry, with many facilities opening late if at all, which had a detrimental effect on everything from budgets and construction planning to lifeguard training and drowning prevention.