Rejuvenating Neighborhoods and Communities Through Parks—A Guide To Success www.NRPA.org National Recreation and Park Association © 2011 All Rights Reserved 15 Data Available Within Communities Certain department and agencies within a community can be sources for information important to your project These include: • Planning departments. Local, regional, or state agencies can provide historical patterns as well as future projections • School districts Tracking the demographics of specific neighborhoods and communities within districts is critical—for examples, for schools that need to plan ahead to purchase land for additional schools or to renovate buildings In addition, school districts are required to maintain records of student attendance, standardized test results, and graduation rates This information can create a picture of the well-being of young people in various neighborhoods or sections of your community • Economic development agencies These agencies may be publicly operated or overseen by a private group, but either way, they already have community profile information • Health departments. City, county, and state health departments compile data on various chronic diseases, level of obesity, amount of physical activity, and health disparities • Law enforcement agencies. The overall safety of various sections of the community as well as issues related to juvenile behavior can be secured from local or county officials or both Census Data The Census Bureau makes substantial demographic data available at no cost and online, including mapping capability using its TIGER data A community planning department may already have such mapping available Two good starting places for information useful for park plans are available online at www census gov • American Community Survey. This ongoing survey provides updated data between the 10-year census cycles It includes such factors as age, sex, race, family and relationships, benefit, health insurance, education, veteran status, income, disabilities, location of work and commute time, and amount of money directed toward essential expenditures • The American FactFinder. This interactive application supports the Economic Census, the American Community Survey, and the latest Population Estimates Maps reflecting various demographic areas be refined down to ZIP code or street address A Park Assessment Checklist The following checklist may be useful for conducting a future park assessment. Park Specifics • Acreage (total) • Acreage developed • Acreage open • Acreage paved Existing Landscape • Natural to area • Planted/developed • Condition of each type • Features that contribute/detract to development • Landscape and safety features: ways in which the current landscape restricts safety or contributes to perceptions of safety Current Facilities • List the existing facilities of this park. • State the condition of each facility, such as “usable,” “not functioning,” and “could use repairs.” Current Equipment • List the existing equipment of this park (play equipment, picnic tables, and so on). • State the condition of each equipment category, such as “usable,” “not functioning,” and “could use repairs.” User Groups • State the intended user groups of this park when it was developed. • Describe the current user groups of this park. • Describe accessibility for all potential users, such as sidewalks, safety, mass transportation, and proximity to schools or housing. Available Working Utilities • Extent of availability of water, gas, and electricity • Description of current availability, usage, and costs Maintenance Practices • Current maintenance schedule (time and specific activities) • Quarterly maintenance schedule • Annual maintenance recommendations • Maintenance requests from staff • Maintenance requests from user groups • Maintenance requests from neighbors Complaints and Requests • Neighbors • Area businesses • Law enforcement
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