7 | The Economic Impact of Local Parks CASE STUDY ANALYSIS This research component assesses the economic impacts of specific parks located within local and regional park systems across the country. The example parks offer a more detailed analysis of park-related spending and the associated economic impacts to show how a differing mix of park types within a system of parks could affect that system’s economic impacts. In all, data were provided for 21 parks reflecting geographic and operational diversity. Participating park systems provided data for this analysis, some of which was augmented by the PRORAGIS database and direct data gathering from online resources. Our analysis assesses the economic impacts of operations and capital spending for each of the participating parks at the state level. In this analysis, we have sufficient data to include ordinary capital spending that appears in the operating budget for some agencies. The analysis utilized RIMS-II multipliers obtained from IMPLAN, Inc., to calculate the impacts of park-related spending on total state economic activity, employment and labor earnings. The 21 parks included in this analysis come from 17 different states and represent ten different types of facilities. The categorization of park types is based on primary use and/or scale of operations at the park. Table 3 describes the park categorizations and Table 4 lists the parks included in this analysis. Table 3 Park Typologies Park Typology Description Big Parks Very large, multipurpose parks that are typically “destination” facilities Regional Parks Large parks serving local and regional visitors with a range of amenities Community Parks Smaller scale facilities serving one or more neighborhoods Community Sports Fields Amateur athletic fields that primarily serve local or regional constituencies Cultural Cultural amenity parks, historic sites, botanical gardens Festival Typically large venues that host significant state or national events Golf Public golf courses Rec/Community Center Recreation or community center withmultiple activities and amenities Water Park Primary feature is aquatic recreation andmay have seasonal operations Hike/Bike Trails Low services, nature trails, paved or non-paved
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