October 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 43

walk access and to identify community priorities. Using
ParkServe® as a starting point, MIG mapped 19 areas
that do not have a city park within a half-mile, evaluating
where schools, churches, detention basins, golf courses,
private open space and parks outside the city could help
meet needs. Simultaneously, city staff hosted a series of
pop-up events, stakeholder interviews and an online questionnaire to understand what types of recreation options,
locations and funding options the community would
support. They identified four key areas for future parkland or recreation facilities. The Master Plan, projected
for completion in December 2019, will carry forward
Murray City's approach to balancing diverse community needs, while providing a menu of solutions to expand
park access and ensure that recreation options are accessible year-round.

Improving Systems to Achieve
Equitable Park Access
As evidenced by these three communities, the work
of NRPA's 32 partner communities and countless other park and recreation agencies, improving systems to
achieve equitable park access requires an intentional
process and sustainable solutions, grounded in equity
and inclusion. In this process, it is our responsibility as
public agencies to understand the history of the people
in our communities, like the native Dena'ina people in
Anchorage, and of the land on which we work. It requires us to examine our communities as they are today,
including community-level barriers such as a lack of
park spaces and system-level policies like the matching
requirements in Tukwila, Washington. Finally, it demands that we work with our communities and partners
to prioritize future investments that will provide the best
health and environmental outcomes and opportunities,
such as in Murray City, Utah. While every community
has different needs, there are common solutions, such
as system master plans, funding distribution policies and
programming-level policies that can help improve communities now and into the future.
Share your equitable access experiences, including
successes and challenges, and learn from others by
joining the 10-Minute Walk Learning Series (www.
nrpa.org/10MinuteWalk).

Rachel Banner is NRPA's Director of Park Access (rbanner@nrpa.
org). Jared Mummert is an NRPA Program Specialist (jmummert@
nrpa.org). Cindy Mendoza is Director of Parks and Recreation for
MIG, Inc. (cindym@migcom.com).

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Parks & Recreation

October 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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