January 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 36

TOP TRENDS

Recreation Centers Become
Community Wellness Hubs
Few would dispute that the mission of parks and recreation is now
beginning to extend well beyond
traditional community-based recreation programming. Park and
recreation agencies stand on the
front line of the opioid crisis, providing afterschool care, food and
nutrition assistance and addressing impacts of homelessness. So,
unsurprisingly, far-sighted elected
officials and innovative park and
recreation agencies are joining other public-sector service providers
to develop a unified approach to
social services, law enforcement,
health, nutrition and community
recreation for all ages and abilities.
These services are being offered
in community wellness hubs and
multiservice centers.
NRPA is already supporting
local agencies as they develop innovative models for community

wellness hubs. A promising model
under development would leverage
the appeal of recreation centers
as trusted community gathering
places and expand their role to provide interconnected social, health
and counseling services; access
to healthcare providers; food and
nutrition assistance; educational opportunities and other public
services all in one center. Formal
agreements among agencies would
unify work of providers to achieve
a partnership that serves the needs
of the entire community.

Prediction:

Twenty park and
recreation agencies will enter into
Community Hub agreements with
other public-sector service providers in 2020. Funding from nonprofit funders and foundations will
grow to support these innovative
collaborations as models of best
practices for the public sector.

QUICK TAKES
Recreation Program Trends
" Adult recess " is booming. An article by Jim Carlton in the Wall Street
Journal, highlights new recreation
programs in cities where as many
as 1,000 people turn out for outdoor
adult recess games, like tetherball,
hopscotch and kickball. Adult recess
leagues even have formed with multiweek seasons.
" Cause-related programming is a
big draw, " says Ann Beck, marketing and communications manager
for Mansfield Texas Parks and Recreation. She describes an " insanely
popular " program, where a local animal shelter sponsors a 5K run and
a walk that pairs shelter dogs with
program participants. The programs
have raised revenue, expanded audiences for both the shelter and the recreation programs, and have been a
huge hit, making people feel like they
are making a difference. Beck also
says that people love programs that
are " Insta-worthy. " People " want to
take a cool photo and show the cool
things they are doing, so they can
share their experiences on social media, " she says.

Micromobility Devices in Parks

Micromobility devices
are revolutionizing how
people travel to and
within parks.

Parks & Recreation

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The birth of the " mobility culture "
is profoundly changing urban design
and personal transportation. It has
upended traditional ideas about how
people will access parks, especially when they don't own a car. Park
planning and design standards that
anticipate a certain number of cars
based on the number of patrons are
already outdated. New forms of selfpropelled and motorized transportation, especially micromobility devices
are revolutionizing how people get to
parks and travel within them.
Escooters, emountain bikes and oth-

January 2020 - Parks & Recreation

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