April 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 20

RESEARCH
Get to Know Your Neighbors
By Melissa May
O
ne rarely moves to a new area without doing a little research on the
neighborhood first. The same is true for park and recreation professionals.
Whether you're looking to construct a new park, explore
new programming or evaluate your current resources to better serve
the community, it is always good practice to get to know your neighbors.
NRPA Facility Market Reports
(FMRs) offer key data and insights
about the residents served by your
agency's facilities, with information
from trusted sources, such as the
U.S.
Census
Bureau,
geographic
information system company Esri
and market research firms like MRISimmons.
FMRs give park and recreation
professionals a greater understanding
of the residents served
by a park, aquatics center, recreation
center or any other established facility,
using data that focus on residents'
behaviors, habits and interests. It also
is a great first step in evaluating new
and potential locations.
FMRs are not just for park
and recreation professionals
- they are a valuable asset to
contractors, planners and other
key stakeholders involved in all
aspects of parks and recreation.
FMRs are not just for park and
recreation
professionals - they
are a valuable asset to contractors,
planners and other key stakeholders
involved in all aspects of parks and
recreation. Take the example of a
park and recreation agency receiving
a grant to establish a community
pool. The agency knows two of
its local parks could accommodate
20 Parks & Recreation | APRIL 2 0 2 3
a new pool and both areas have a
seemingly similar need. Staff will
need to assess which location could
serve the most people, how far people
will travel to use the pool, and
which location's residents would
most utilize the pool. An FMR is
an easy and affordable way to gain
insights to those initial questions.
By requesting an FMR for each location
and indicating the distance
of analysis (e.g., 10-minute walk,
15-minute drive), you will be able
to compare the total population, the
number of households, the percent
of the population enrolled in kindergarten
through 12th grade, the
percent of population that participated
in swimming in the past 12
months and more. This information
will help you and your agency to
make more informed decisions.
Two unique indexes found in the
FMR are the Spending Potential
Index (SPI) and Market Potential
Index (MPI). The SPI represents
the amount spent in the area relative
to a national average of 100. For
example, an SPI of 110 means that
the area spends 10 percent more
than the national average on that
good or service. An FMR examines
the
SPI
and for
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
and
spent on fees
in sports,
average
for
amount
participating
for recreation lessons,
childcare (among other
things) within the area of analysis.
Knowing the SPI for an area helps
you understand where and how
money is being spent, and how
to assess fees and pricing for your
agency's activities and programs.
The MPI represents the relative
likelihood of usage in comparison
to the national average. This measure
is indexed to 100, meaning an
MPI greater than 100 indicates a
higher-than-average likelihood (relative
to the whole United States) for
the specified factors. In the context
of the FMR, the MPI is available
on everything, such as whether individuals
within the area spend seven
or more hours exercising per week,
spent more than $250 on sports
equipment in the past 12 months, or
even used prescription drugs for high
blood pressure or cholesterol. These
data points may indicate areas of
opportunities for new or expanded
programming at your agency.
The NRPA FMR is an NRPA
Premier member benefit. Staff at
these agencies have access to a set
number of free FMRs each year. If
you need FMRs beyond your agency's
annual allotment, additional
reports are available for a modest
fee. A park and recreation agency
that is not a Premier member can
still request an FMR for a small fee.
Whether you need a single report
focused on a park or would like a
custom report produced for each
of your agency's sites and facilities,
place your request at nrpa.org/
FMR. It is never too late to get to
know your neighbors.
Melissa May is Senior Research Manager
at NRPA (mmay@nrpa.org).
http://www.nrpa.org/FMR http://www.nrpa.org/FMR
April 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2023 - Parks & Recreation
