January 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 50

conclusions

i

n its first year of existence, NRPA's national online database holds great promise for becoming the standard research, management, and planning tool among
park and recreation professionals. While it will be difficult to chart trends authoritatively for several years, comparisons of current profile data with NRPA's
original 2009 Operating Ratio Study point to some notable dynamics across the
field. Using current and 2009 data, we have projected some of the trends indicated
by the data-trends viewed through a prism of social, economic, technology, and
management perspectives. These dynamics, outlined below, represent both opportunities and challenges for the field of parks and recreation-and, in some cases,
they create sharp conflicts with accepted practices.
FIGURE 31

Trends
Past and Current Practices

Presents...

Departments function as providers of programs, services
facilities and lands

P & R Departments function as facilitators of public,
nonprofit and private recreation opportunities in the
community

Opportunity

Departments use public employees to provide operations,
maintenance and programming

Departments use nonproﬁt partners, private vendors, and
contractors for operation, maintenance and programming

Challenge

For cost-effective operations and maintenance, smaller
parks are eliminated

For child health and obesity issues the goal is to eliminate
" Recreation Deserts " by creating smaller neighborhood
parks

Conﬂict

Park site and mobile programming in neighborhoods to
ensure social equity goals

Department revenue increase goals sought to offset tax
subsidies even at cost of social equity

Conﬂict

Departments provide targeted programs and services for
vulnerable populations, such as seniors and youth

Reduced federal, state and local funding is reducing
departments' ability to provide for vulnerable populations.

Challenge

" What market will bear " guides revenue generation
strategies for Department

Revenue generation guided by market research and
business practices

Opportunity

Acquisition and installation of automated Recreation
Management Systems to improve registration services and
monitoring

Acquisition and installation of computer-aided Maintenance
Management Systems to improve asset management and
cost effective maintenance

Opportunity

Undeveloped open space left unmanaged and unimproved;
environmental sustainability practices take low priority

Residents want managed, useable, but not overdeveloped
open space; environmental sustainability takes high priority

Opportunity

NRpa's Mission:
To advance parks,
recreation, and
environmental
conservation efforts
that enhance
thequality of life
for all people.

16

Future Direction

As NRPA continues to add profiles to its inventory,
the database will offer even more information,
data and reporting capabilities-all to help you address trends in the industry, carry out day-to-day
functions, build credibility with decision-makers
and the public, and position your department to
be a major positive force in your community's
health, culture, and economy.

NRPA makes its interactive database available
at no charge to members and non-members alike.
It is marketed to members under the trade name
" PRORAGIS. " To find out more, to fill out an
agency profile, or to view online tutorials for using
the platform, visit www.nrpa.org/proragis.

This special report on the parks and recreation ﬁeld-as well as the PRORAGIS database from which
it is drawn-is produced by the
National Recreation and Park Association
22377 Belmont Ridge Road * Ashburn, Virginia 20148
703.858.0784 * www.nrpa.org

2012 ParkS and rEcrEaTion Special RepoRt

www.nrpa.org
January 2012 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2012 - Parks & Recreation
