May 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 8

P E R S P E C T I V E S A M E S S A G E F R O M N R PA' S L E A D E R S

Why Isn't There a Nature Place for
Kids in Every Park?
Not long ago, I participated in a conference at which I met a park director
who was very dismissive of the idea that his parks should have nature places
for kids to play. He felt that there was no need for such places since those
who used his parks were really only interested in athletics and sports. I was
puzzled by this mentality. To me, it's a no-brainer that park directors and
park designers should at least consider adding a nature component for kids to
every new park that they bring online - even those parks that are purely designed for sports and athletics. I think we sometimes get stale in our thinking
about what a park is and who it is for. Are we asking ourselves, " When kids
come to our parks, is there a place for them to connect to nature? "
Just looking at the example of parks that are designed primarily for sports,
very often the people who use those parks come in a family group. Parents
come to watch their kids compete in league play, often with younger siblings in tow. The younger kids want something else to do besides watch the
competition. Budget permitting, traditional park designers will certainly
recommend adding a playground for younger kids. But why are we not also
designing a nature play space to go along with the playground?
Sometimes, we put our own blinders on without even realizing we have limited our vision. NRPA was recently the recipient of a substantial grant to promote green infrastructure stormwater management in parks in underserved
communities. We will re-grant these funds to three to five park and recreation
agencies so they can complete green infrastructure stormwater management
projects in their parks. However, these funds will only be approved if the agency demonstrates there will be co-benefits to underserved or low-income communities.
We believe parks can become spaces that not only treat and filter stormwater, but
also promote health and address social equity. We have long believed that parks build
community, and parks certainly build environment. But we realized that we, too, had to
think outside the box. If we let ourselves get trapped in stale thinking, we won't see the
potential to change lives.
Any park can build young lives, and we should look at every opportunity we have to
connect kids to nature. Let us all be open to every opportunity to design our parks - every park - for them to do so. After all, if the next generation doesn't have a connection
to nature, who will support parks in the future?

BAR BAR A T ULIPAN E, C AE
President and CEO

6	

Parks & Recreation

| M AY 2 0 1 6 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G



May 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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