Park Planning, Design, and Open Space

Introduction
Benefits of Parks and Recreation
Park Design and Standards
County and Regional Open Space Programs
Comprehensive Park and Open Space Plans and Elements
Related MRSC Pages
- Designing Transportation Facilities for Pedestrians and Bicycles (Trails)

Introduction

This page includes a range of information on parks, recreation, and open space planning and design. Information on the benefits of parks and recreation can be used as background information in developing a comprehensive park plan. This page includes general guidelines for preparing park plans and information regarding local standards for parks and recreation facilities. It also contains selected examples of city and county comprehensive parks, recreation, and open space plans and plan elements. Links to broader county and regional open space and trails programs are also provided.

Benefits of Parks and Recreation

City Beautiful(), by Gerald A. Carlino and Albert Saiz, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Working Paper No. 08-22, December 6, 2008 - The paper quantifies the importance of leisure amenities and provides evidence that spending public dollars on leisure and cultural activities may offer more long-range benefit than traditional economic development focused on job creation.
The Economic Benefits of Parks and Open Space: How Land Conservation Helps Communities Grow Smart and Protect the Bottom Line, Trust for Public Lands Report
The Health Benefits of Parks: How Parks Help Keep Americans and Their Communities Fit and Healthy, by Eric Gies, Trust for Public Lands, 2006
Measuring the Impact of Parks on Property Values, by Sarah Nicholls, Parks and Recreation, March 2004 - Available via MRSC Library Loan.

Park Design and Standards

General Reference

Guidelines for Developing Public Recreation Facility Standards, Ministry of Culture and Recreation, Sports and Fitness Division, Ontario, Canada, 2004
The Importance of Unique Park and Recreation Standards, HLA Blog, 02/26/2010
Manual 2: Planning Policies and Guidelines (), Washington State Recreation and Conservation Funding Board, 01/2011
Planning for Parks and Open Space in Your Community (), by Susan C. Enger for CTED (now Washington State Department of Commerce) and Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation, 2005
Program Standards, Park Planning, National Park Service, August 2004

Local Government Design Standards

Seattle Parks Standards (Design)
- Seattle Design Intent for Park Boulevards and Trails
Vancouver-Clark County Park Standards and Performance
Woodinville Park, Recreation and Open Space Plan - Chapter 04 - Demand Analysis (), 2005 - Uses various measurements to identify the strengths and weaknesses of park inventory based on current and future needs

Miscellaneous Design Resources

Accessible Recreation Facilities Guidelines - Access Board, 11/2010
Handbook for Public Playground Safety ( 372 MB) - National Product Safety Commission
NatureGrounds - A comprehensive program that provides best practice guidelines for creating and retrofitting play environments for parks and school grounds that integrate manufactured play equipment and the living landscape.
Field Building Standards - US Soccer Foundation
American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) - Formerly United States Tennis Court and Track Builders Association

County and Regional Open Space Programs

Clark County Conservation Futures Program - Open space acquisition program
King County Parks and Recreation - Regional Trails System (RTS)
King County Greenprint oroject - An open space and resource lands conservation and acquisition strategy
Mountains to Sound Greenway - Supports conservation and enhancement of the landscape from Seattle across the Cascades to Central Washington
Pierce County Conservation Futures Program
San Juan County Land Bank
Thurston County Trails

Comprehensive Park and Open Space Plans and Elements

This section includes examples of standalone comprehensive park plans as well as sample parks and recreation elements from GMA comprehensive plans. The requirements for GMA comprehensive plans include a parks and recreation element (see RCW 36.70A.070(8)). Although thtis element is not mandatory until adequate funding is available, many jurisdictions have adopted a parks and recreation element as part of their comprehensive plan. For guidance on the preparation of the parks and recreation element, see WAC 365-196-440.