Resources

Resources for Park and Recreation Professionals

With help from our members and research partners, we make the following resources and tools available to equip parks and recreation departments, municipalities, urban design and landscape architecture firms, and advocacy organizations to enhance capacity and build equitable, healthy, and engaged communities.

Member Exclusive
Technical Tool
Guide to Activate Undeveloped Parks of Austin
Austin Parks and Recreation and Central Texas Interfaith, Design Workshop
This is a road map for community members to temporarily activate undeveloped park sites in Austin.
Member Exclusive
Report
Pathways to Play: Community School Parks Program Report
Los Angeles Park Foundation
This report examines the Community School Park (CSP) program's effectiveness to increase use of school campuses for public recreation during periods when schoo…
Report
Surfacing Solutions: How Addressing Conflict and Reframing Challenges as Opportunities Can Create More Equitable and Sustainable Parks
Park People
Takeaways on trends, challenges and strategic directions in Canadian city parks in 2023.
Technical Tool
The Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership
Facilitating Power; Movement Strategy Center
Leaders across multiple sectors can use this spectrum to assess and revolutionize community engagement efforts to advance community-driven solutions.
Report
Key Park Equity Policies: Toward a 10-Minute Walk Park Equity Policy Framework
Trust for Public Land
This report outlines policy solutions and examples that help create scaled, sustainable change and address the park equity divide.
Report
Cornerstone Parks Reports on Stewardship and Park Use
Park People
This research from Canada shows that volunteer stewardship in large urban parks makes people happier and healthier and points to the need for equity.
Case Study
Inequalities in urban greenness and epigenetic aging: Different associations by race and neighborhood socioeconomic status
Science Advances
This research article studies the association between exposure to greenness and epigenetic aging in a large, biracial U.S. urban cohort.
Report
2022 Outdoor Participation Trends Report
Outdoor Foundation
This research study examines interest in outdoor recreation after the COVID pandemic disruption.
Report
Neighborhood Park Service: Strategies to create an equitable and activated park system for the District of Columbia
Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness, with assistance from Catherine O’Donnell, GW Climate and Health Institute
This report provides policy recommendations for how the NPS and Congress can leverage greenspaces to create a better park system in Washington, DC.
Report
The Common Ground Framework: Building community power through park and green space engagement
Trust for Public Land
This paper explores how parks and green spaces can increase a community’s power, particularly communities of historically excluded groups.