April 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 37

A concept plan for the redesign of
Honor Park in Hampton, Virginia, utilizes
green infrastructure principles to slow,
retain and infiltrate stormwater coming
into the park from city streets.
tiple other benefits, including additional
stormwater storage capacity,
biodiversity protection and public
recreation access. "
Reducing the Impacts of
Climate Change
One of the most immediate challenges
facing park designers and
managers is providing enough
shade to reduce the impacts of extreme
heat. Whether it is for activity
areas in new parks or existing
parks, the challenge of providing
sufficient shade is vexing park managers
in virtually every area of the
country. " Due to the extreme heat
that we are seeing during our summers,
we have been incorporating
shade structures into any new or
replacement playgrounds, " says
Bill Offutt, park operations manager
for Anne Arundel County Parks
and Recreation in Maryland. Mike
Shull, general manager of the City
of Los Angeles Department of Recreation
and Parks, says, " We can
build a million-dollar playground
and unless it has shade, no one will
use it during the heat of the day. "
In planning parks, " One of our
first considerations is what does the
community
need? "
says
Nielsen.
" What is the context of the site?
What risks is the site subjected to? For
us, in New York City, it is drought,
heavy rains and extreme heat. Those
are our givens. We look at how we
can
employ
green
infrastructure
principles in design and construction
and how we can make the park more
resilient. In retrofitting parks, we think
about adding more trees, increasing
the diversity of plant species, and
whether there can be better rain
and stormwater capture. Managing
stormwater in parks is often a missed
opportunity. If possible, we think
about
alternative
and
renewable
energy sources, such as solar, and
especially, we think how we can add
shade, man-made or natural. "
Martha Schwartz, noted urban
expert and professor
design
in
practice in landscape architecture
at the Harvard University Graduate
School of Design, says that we
must look at our cities and urban
areas as working ecological systems.
" When we understand what
the land can do, it is amazing. Cities
must expand the amount of
open space within their boundaries.
Working ecosystems are based
on interconnectivity. The best way
we can connect our natural spaces
and parks is through interconnected
urban forests, not just a bunch
of trees planted in a line. "
The Cost of Inaction
Schwartz asks, " What is the cost
of climate change? If we commit
to the costs [of adaptation and
mitigation] now, it will cost a lot
more than business as usual. If we
wait, however, it will cost an insane
amount of money. "
In addition to forecasting the risks
to natural systems and the built environment,
we need to understand
the risks to human health. While the
effects of extreme heat exposure to
adults are well documented, a new
meta-analysis in the January 2022
issue of Environmental Health Perspectives
reports that in an analysis of 4
million emergency room visits of
children to 47 hospitals during 2016
to 2018, treatment for heat stressrelated
illnesses in children and youth
was nearly one-third higher than for
adults and up to one-quarter higher
than adults for bacterial intestinal
infections (tinyurl.com/2s4zz5pn).
These
disproportionately
rates of certain illnesses in children
and youth represent a new threshold
in understanding the health impacts
of climate change on children. An
equal measure of concern must be
given to those who are most vulnerable
to these stresses, including
low-income communities, minority
populations, children, older adults
and those who must work outdoors
in extreme heat, including our own
park and recreation workers.
Schwartz says, " Parks are not
an amenity anymore. They are an
absolute necessity. We must look at
the risks we face. We have solutions
and we can live in balance with nature.
Parks will be a critical part of
the solution. " Nardi says, " Parks
are being seen more and more as
the underpinnings of strategies for
climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Parks are the green heart
of our communities. "
Richard J. Dolesh is NRPA's retired Vice President of Strategic
Initiatives and Editor-at-Large for Parks & Recreation magazine
(dolesh@gmail.com).
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | APRIL 2 0 22 | Parks & Recreation
37
higher
PHOTO COURTESY OF WAGGONNER & BALL ARCHITECTURE/
ENVIRONMENT
http://www.tinyurl.com/2s4zz5pn
April 2022 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2022 - Parks & Recreation
