Meeting Diverse Needs

From bringing people together for sports, recreation and play, urban designers have long recognized the inherent value that open, green spaces can add to communities. More than reserved land for people to pass the time, parks have evolved to be more equitable, sustainable, resilient and inclusive in their offerings, with elements like adaptable sports courts, native plantings, stormwater management systems and WiFi integrated at increasing rates. 

"Destination parks," as Doug Bisson, urban design and planning principal at HDR, describes them, are among the forward-thinking solutions that make parks both welcoming to people and profitable for communities. Referencing the Omaha RiverFront Revitalization — which revives 72 acres of urban parkland along the Missouri River and transforms three underutilized parks — Bisson describes how providing multiple programming attractions ensures the community continually utilizes the investment, a concept gaining traction across the country, in part, because "people want to be around other people."

Read the full article, "Meeting Diverse Needs," in Recreation Management.