NEW MODELS AND METRICS FOR PARKS SYSTEM PLANNING Wednesday, January 31st, 11:45 am - 1:00 pm David Barth, PhD, AICP, CPRP, RLA david@barthassoc.com
https://www.planning.org/pas/memo/2016/may/
WHY DO WE NEED PARKS SYSTEM MODELS AND METRICS?
parks seem relatively simple and straight forward. People frequently say, It s not rocket science, it s just a park. No! For rockets you [just] need to be good at math. Parks require math plus horticulture, hydrology, psychology, sociology and communication. They are immensely complicated.
Dimensions of a Parks and Recreation System Residents Needs and Priorities Programs Capital Improvements Trends Operations and Maintenance Funding, Fiscal Sustainability Political Priorities Level-of-Service Comprehensive Plan Goals Service-Delivery Models Mission, Role Branding Partnerships Staffing Land Development Codes Resource Protection Impact Fees Park Classifications Economic Development Social Equity Environment, Green Infrastructure Agency Accreditation Cost Recovery Aging-in-Place Design Standards Marketing Tourism Health and Wellness Quality of Life Crime, Safety Redevelopment
9 No Standards A standard for parks and recreation cannot be universal, nor can one city be compared with another even though they are similar in many respects (Mertes & Hall, p. 59).
Parks and Recreation System part of an Interconnected Public Realm
Resiliency Ageing-in-Place Connectivity Access to Nature Sports Tourism Travel Ball Place-making Virtual Reality Adult Fitness egames Autonomous Vehicles Others New and Emerging Trends
Placemaking (PPS) Key Attributes Characteristics Metrics
Decision-Making Framework Mission, Vision, Values Parks and Recreation Subsystems and Service Delivery Models Classifications, Cost Recovery Goals Level-of-Service, Performance Metrics Programming Plan Organizational Structure, Staffing Plan Interlocal, Partnership Agreements Maintenance Standards, Repair and Replacement Schedule Design Standards Business Plans for Enterprise Facilities
Decision-Making Framework Mission, Vision, Values Parks and Recreation Subsystems and Service Delivery Models Classifications, Cost Recovery Goals Level-of-Service, Performance Metrics Programming Plan Organizational Structure, Staffing Plan Interlocal, Partnership Agreements Maintenance Standards, Repair and Replacement Schedule Design Standards Business Plans for Enterprise Facilities
MISSION, VISION, VALUES
Values What Do You, Your Team, Your Department, and Your Elected Officials CARE ABOUT THE MOST?
Mission Based on These Values, Why Does Your Department Exist?
SUBSYSTEMS & SERVICE DELIVERY MODELS
Potential Subsystems Parks Recreation Centers Athletic Facilities Greenways and Trails Playgrounds Dog Parks Aquatics Facilities Programs Environmental Lands Museums, Historic, Cultural Facilities Water Access Civic Spaces Streets, Transit Stormwater Facilities, Utility Corridors Others
Norfolk, VA Parks Community/Recreation Centers Libraries, Schools Streets, Bikeways and Trails Therapeutic Recreation Natural Areas, Water Access Athletic Facilities Urban Agriculture Stormwater Drainage Community Character Programs Operations & Maintenance
Different Languages
Subsystem Service Delivery Models Centralized (communitywide) De-centralized (equity) Hub & Spoke Venues (multicentralized) Activities-Based (neighborhoods) Centralized Model
Example: Kissimmee Lakefront Park
De-centralized (Equity) Model
Social Equity - Access, Inclusion, Diversity https://www.slideshare.net/sneapa2015/weaving-social-equity-intothe-urban-planning-process
Hub & Spoke Model
Example: Dog Parks
Venues Model
Example: City of Fernandina Beach
Activity-Based (Neighborhood) Model
Walk a Dog (Off-Leash) = 0.25 5 Acre Attend Indoor Programs and Classes 10,000 30,000 sq.ft. Community Center = 1.5 3 Acres Play Basketball/ Tennis = 0.5 1 Acre Play in a Splash Play Area = 0.25 0.5 Acres Play a Pick-Up Game, Throw Frisbee = 0.5 Acres
Example: New York Hudson River Parkway
CLASSIFICATIONS, COST RECOVERY GOALS
Traditional Classifications - NRPA, 1996
4 1 Olmsted 1930 Plan for Los Angeles Region Two classes of functions and facilities: 1. Those that serve mainly local needs and can be reduplicated in small and easily accessible units in every part of the Region 2. Those that serve mainly regional needs, which people can reasonably be expected to travel rather long distances to reach, and which cannot be reduplicated locally
Basic Local Park Program Safe Comfortable Power, water, infrastructure for special events Multipurpose open lawns Shade trees & canopies Paved multi-purpose trail Seating all types Picnic shelters Playground WiFi Placemaking, amenities Multi-purpose courts for basketball, tennis, pickleball Programs Restrooms in suburban areas; less important in high density urban areas
Regional Facility Classifications: Sarasota County
Example: Preserves Example: Athletic Fields 13
LEVEL-OF-SERVICE, PERFORMANCE METRICS
Reasons to Calculate LOS Equity (Delivery of Services) Aspirations (Goals, Policies) Regulatory (Regulations, Impact Fees)
Common LOS Metrics each necessary but not sufficient Acres per 1000 residents Do we have enough land? Community-wide? Equitably distributed? % Land Mass in Open Space - Ditto Facilities per 1000 residents (public, private) Do we have enough facilities? Community-wide? Equitably distributed? Square footage per capita Do we have enough indoor recreation space? Community-wide? Equitably distributed? Access by transit, car, bike, foot Can I get there safely, easily, and comfortably? Regardless of age, income, ability? Urban or rural? Quality of facilities Is quality consistent and equitable across the system? Operating expenditures per acre managed Do we have enough money to operate effectively? Operating expenditures per capita - Ditto Revenue per capita Are we generating adequate revenues that meet expectations? Revenue as a percentage of total operating expenditures (cost recovery) - Ditto
Parkland Acreage LOS per Neighborhood Cluster 2020 LOS: DPR Lands Only 1.5 AC/ 1000 2020 LOS: DPR + NPS Lands 7.6 AC/ 1000
Recreation Centers Facility LOS by Neighborhood Cluster 2010 Recreation Center SF per Capita 2020 Recreation Center SF per Capita
Lifestyles, Context - Urban, Suburban, Rural
Facilities LOS by Market Area Market Areas Central, South and West provide significantly fewer facilities per 1000 population relative to the average current County LOS. Market Area East provides the most facility types, with a high LOS compared to Countywide levels. 54
Access LOS Facility Type: All Parks + Active County Parks Baseball/softball Fields Football/ Soccer Fields Urban/ Suburban Access: Rural/ Village Access: ½ mile / 1 mile ½ mile / 1 mile 3 miles 5 miles 3 miles 5 miles Playgrounds ½ mile 3 miles Pickleball Courts 1 mile 3 miles Tennis Courts 1 mile 3 miles Basketball Courts ½ mile 3 miles Dog Parks 1 mile 5 miles Indoor Recreation Centers 2 miles 10 miles Therapeutic Recreation Centers 3 miles 10 miles Swimming Pools/ Aquatic Complexes 3 miles 10 miles 55
Access - Parks ½ mile service area DPR
Access - Parks ½ mile service area DPR + NPS
Access - Parks ½ mile service area DPR + NPS + DCPS
Access - Facilities (Recreation Centers) 1 mile service area to minimum 7,500 SF Neighborhood Center
Quality Facilities (Recreation Centers) 74 Recreation Centers 956,849 total square feet 40 Recreation Centers do not meet minimum DPR Vision standards 28 Recreation Centers are in Poor/Fair Maintenance Conditions (DGS Facilities Assessment, 2013)
Quality - Parks
Operations Budget/ Acre, Acres/ FTE 1 National Benchmarks Source: National Recreation and Parks Association (2015) PRORAGIS Database Report: Counties 2 1 National Benchmarks Source: National Recreation and Parks Association (2015) PRORAGIS Database Report: Counties 2
Alternative Sustainability/Resiliency Metrics (e.g. High Performance Public Space criteria) Social Improves the neighborhood Improves social and physical mobility Encourages health and fitness Provides relief from urban congestion, stressors Provides places for formal and informal social gathering, art, performances, events Provides opportunities for individual, group, passive and active recreation Facilitates shared experiences among different groups Attracts diverse populations Promotes creative and constructive social interaction Environmental Uses energy, water, and resources efficiently Improves water quality of both surface and ground water Serves as a net carbon sink Enhances, preserves, promotes, or contributes to biological diversity Hardscape materials selected for longevity of service, social/ cultural/ historical sustainability, regional availability, low carbon footprint Provides opportunities to enhance environmental awareness and knowledge Serves as an interconnected node within larger scale ecological corridors and natural habitat Economic Creates and facilitates revenue-generating opportunities for the public and/or the private sectors Creates meaningful and desirable employment Indirectly creates or sustains good, living wage jobs Sustains or increases property values Catalyzes infill development and/or the re-use of obsolete or under-used buildings or spaces Attracts new residents Attracts new businesses Generates increased business and tax revenues Optimizes operations and maintenance costs
Sustainability Metrics, Trends as LOS Standards Trends Age-Friendly Communities Walkability and Connectivity Access to Nature Sports Tourism High Performance Public Spaces Potential Metrics Transit Access; % of Senior Participants; % of Multi-generational Programs Percentage of Complete Streets; Miles of Multi-purpose Trails; % of Parks w/ Multi-Modal Access Distance/ Time to Natural Areas; % Participants in Nature-Based Programs % Use of Facilities by Visitors % Cost per Visitor User Revenues per Visitor User
HOW TO CALCULATE LOS
How to Calculate LOS: Supply v. Demand Calculate existing LOS (supply) Determine demand via observations, surveys, focus group meetings, interviews, benchmarking Add demand to supply Calculate new (aspirational) LOS Implement, re-evaluate, recalculate
Benchmarking NRPA Park Metrics TPL Parkscore State SCORP Local Comparables
NRPA PRORAGIS
TPL ParkScore
SCORP
Local, Demographic Comparables
Visioning 2008 Total Parkland: 847.15 Acres 2008 Population: 74,590 2008 Acreage LOS: 11.38 Ac./1,000 2035 Population: 166,869 2035 Level of Service: 5.0 Ac/1,000
2008 Total Parkland: 847.15 Acres 2008 Population: 74,590 2008 Acreage LOS: 11.38 Ac./1,000 2035 Population: 166,869 2035 Level of Service: 5.0 Ac/1,000 Build-Out Vision: 1,777.07 Ac 2035 Level of Service: 10.6 Ac./1,000 Pop
SUMMARY
Decision-Making Framework Mission, Vision, Values Parks and Facilities Service Delivery Models and Classifications Level-of-Service, Performance Metrics Cost Recovery Goals and Fee Policies Programming Plan Organizational Structure, Staffing Plan Interlocal, Partnership Agreements Maintenance Standards, Repair and Replacement Schedule Design Standards Business Plans for Enterprise Facilities
Models and Metrics Checklist Use a comprehensive, triangulated process to determine needs Convene a representative citizen s group Define subsystems, service delivery models, and classifications Develop LOS metrics for each subsystem: Do the metrics reflect community values? Are the LOS standards logical, easy to understand? Is accurate data available? Do the metrics represent actual levels of service? Do the metrics and standards provide comprehensive perspective of LOS? Use a transparent, triangulated approach including qualitative, quantitative, and anecdotal techniques Experiment, adjust, re-calculate, repeat