Rejuvenating Neighborhoods and Communities Through Parks—A Guide To Success www.NRPA.org National Recreation and Park Association © 2011 All Rights Reserved 17 the well-being of Americans as a whole and for specific states It truly and broadly defines wellness by tracking such categories as life evaluation, emotional and physical health, healthy behaviors, the work environment, and basic access to healthcare Please note that only overall data about the United States can be accessed by the general public http://www well-beingindex com PARKScore and the Trust for Public Land as Resources PARKScore, an online resource funded by a grant from the California Endowment, displays park and other health-related information in the form of interactive maps. These maps can help the agency make the case for increasing park and open space within certain communities. Another resource is the Park Equity and Health Toolkit of the Trust for Public Land. It offers techniques and tools for agencies wishing to address health-related problems by creating, improving, and funding public parks, playgrounds, community gardens, and other settings for physical activity. These resources can be viewed at: http://www.parkscore.org http://www.tpl.org/tier2_kad.cfm?folder_id=3548 Analyzing Information for Planning Information is of limited value without analysis of how it relates to the lives of people who live in a particular neighborhood or area This same information and data has limited value to the planning process and the project, until it is incorporated into a concise set of statements identifying community issues and describing the roles that park development or renovation will play in the future of the neighborhood or community The Catalyst for Neighborhood Parks, which is a joint endeavor of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the City Parks Foundation, creates a profile for each area or neighborhood before starting on a project It gathers such information as demographics (labeled “context”); assets of the area; challenges for the park revitalization project; and potential strategies for moving the project forward The Catalyst for Neighborhood Parks initiative uses the profile, demographics, and assets of the affected neighborhood to identify challenges and strategies—which is really the overall purpose of gathering data It is interesting to note that within the following profile, the strategies for engaging the most essential partners refer to the people who live and work in the area The following profile was developed for the Astoria/Long Island City neighborhood as part of the Catalyst for Neighborhood Parks Context Population of 147,000 • 48% of local population foreign born, compared to 36% of New York City’s population overall • Several large public housing projects adjacent to waterfront parks Assets • Seven waterfront parks with great views of the East River and Manhattan • 121 acres of lawn, esplanades, and sports amenities
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