June 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 14

RESEARCH
Recognizing Parks and Recreation's
Role in Economic Development
By Kevin Roth, Ph.D.

e learned from the Local Government Officials' Perceptions
of Parks and Recreation study, which was published last
fall, that elected and appointed local leaders agree their
local communities benefit from the amenities provided
by their local park and recreation agency. However, these same officials
readily admitted that when their city, town or county must cut its spending, the local government service they target for the largest budget cut
frequently is their park and recreation agency.

PROMOTING PARKS AND RECREATION'S ROLE IN
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

MAY 2018
PREPARED FOR: NATIONAL RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION
PREPARED BY: THE GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
CENTER FOR REGIONAL ANALYSIS

Promoting Parks and
Recreation's Role in Economic
Development defines the role
of parks and recreation in
economic development and lays
out a strategy to further grow
this relationship.
12

Parks & Recreation

Another of the report's key
findings suggests a major cause
for this disconnect: Local government officials see parks and
recreation as a part of the solution for many of the issues facing
their community, including improving quality of life, preventing youth crime and enhancing
residents' health. They do not,
however, perceive these amenities contributing to what they
view as the most pressing issue:
attracting and retaining businesses. Bridging this perceptions gap
is critical in helping to stabilize,
and even grow, park and recreation agency funding.
A new study, commissioned
by NRPA and conducted by the
George Mason University Center
for Regional Analysis, identifies
how local park officials can better
engage with those in the economic development community. The
stakes of the report's findings are
critical. Through the development
of lasting relationships, economic
development leaders could become
important park and recreation allies by helping defend budgets,
promote new initiatives and create
more engaged constituencies.

| J U N E 2 0 1 8 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

Some Key Findings
As a part of the Promoting Parks
and Recreation's Role in Economic Development study, Drs. Terry
Clower and Mark White talked
with more than 70 park and recreation leaders and economic
development practitioners across
the United States. These conversations focused on how park and
recreation leaders currently promote their agencies' economic
contributions, the nature and extent of the relationship between
park leaders and economic developers, how both groups see these
relationships evolving and details
regarding relevant department
initiatives. The researchers also
spoke to site-selection consultants to better understand the role
that quality of life (and parks and
recreation) plays in site-location
decisions.
The researchers found that economic development leaders place
a high level of value on park and
recreation amenities for their efforts. For example, 72 percent of
communities use images of urban
parks and public spaces, outdoor
amenities, and recreational and
cultural facilities in their economic
development marketing materials.
Similarly, 70 percent of these communities make specific reference
to quality-of-life considerations
and/or present parks-related data
and information in their economic
development marketing materials.
Rarely, however, do these marketing materials specifically call

June 2018 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2018 - Parks & Recreation