May 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 19

For skateboarders, an improperly designed park is the
equivalent of a tennis player showing up at a court with a fivefoot high net. That's not likely to be the case at Highbridge
Park in New York.

the vision from the user's point of view is maintained.
Steve's insight and dedication to good design have given
Highbridge Park Skate Plaza the potential of becoming a recognized destination for skateboarders. Not only has his experience provided the kind of project-specific knowledge we
lacked when the project started, but having his name attached
to the project will also increase its street credibility with skaters in New York City and around the globe.
Adding a professional skateboard park design consultant to
your team as a technical advisor will increase the design budget somewhat. How much that is really depends on the goal for
the park and the technical ability of the rest of the design team.
However, I would argue that hiring a pro is money well spent
and that a customized park built without a professional skateboarder's input runs the serious risk of failing. This is one of the
main reasons Steve got into park consulting. " Often a community is allocated space for a skatepark and they buy cookie-cutter
equipment, " he says. " It's frustrating to go into a skatepark that
isn't designed properly. It's like a tennis player showing up at a
court with a five-foot-high net. It just doesn't work. "

An added benefit to having Steve on our team was how
much he taught our design team and our end-use client. We
now have a team of designers knowledgeable and experienced in the highly specific design and detailing required for
skateparks, and the City of New York will reap the benefits
of a superior, one-of-a-kind recreational facility. But perhaps
more importantly, we have developed a tremendous respect
for skateboarding. For while skateboarding isn't generally considered a sport in the traditional sense, we now recognize it as
one and understand that it requires the same levels of agility,
stamina, and personal creativity as other sports. My personal
appreciation of skaters, their sport, and its requirements have
been greatly enhanced through working with Steve.
For parks and recreation departments considering investing in a skatepark, here are a few more tips:
Properly research and commit to a location that will remain
a skatepark for the foreseeable future.
Commission a preliminary design study to determine how
much budget you will need. While you might not have the kind
of budget a project tied to a large NYC infrastructure project
would, aim to build the best park possible on your site. Cities
often spend well over $1 million on a quality baseball field with
sports lighting and bleachers. Setting aside that kind of funding for a skatepark that can be used year-round in many locales will greatly increase recreational options in a community.
Look into hiring a professional skateboarder as a technical
advisor to your design team if you decide to go ahead with a
project.
If you decide to bring a pro on board, put your trust, and the
trust of the other members of your design team, in their expertise and heed their advice.
Focus on quality and durability. If the park doesn't hold up
or isn't what skaters are looking for, it's worthless. Make it only
as big as you can afford, and put your budget into quality design and materials. The best parks are built to last. As Steve
says, " You build a park so a kid at 5 years old can learn to
skate there and then can still challenge himself at the same
park when he's 35. "
While my staff and I are professional landscape architects
and urban designers, we simply did not possess the knowledge that Steve has acquired from over 25 years of living and
breathing skateboarding. Infusing your park with this kind of
expertise will make a huge difference in its success and longterm viability.

Edward Schnell is an associate in the planning and
landscape architecture practice of Stantec Consulting in New
York City and was project manager for the Highbridge Park
Skate Plaza, which is expected to go into construction next year.
He can be reached at edward.schnell@stantec.com.

w w w . NR P A . ORG

M AY 2 0 1 0

Parks & Recreation

May 2010 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2010 - Parks & Recreation