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10 Planning December 2003
<br />15'hcrr til :uufard� I ul1 short
<br />In doing Ieseaa'II lorAPA s( in ParkePOruns,
<br />I taciewed coundess p:v-Is and open space plans.
<br />According to meshy- of cur phuu, she pall:
<br />standards set be the Niuional Reciundon and
<br />Park Association ranged from as low as four
<br />acres for ctery 1.000 people ro 17 acres par
<br />L,000people Wlq>suchaspiead?Apparcudy
<br />-
<br />rheodeinal 1919 stnd:uds calling for a Ccihalll
<br />11 nunubra Of acres liar certain types of parks had
<br />been misintetpictect miscalculated, or horh.
<br />Some plans rooks different approach, based
<br />on the 1996 e,dicion of NRP,` a Park, Rei;t-
<br />atiou, Open SPtcr end G,reua'a3 Guiddurd
<br />This edition (the latest) calls for local pink
<br />standards to be based on it keel -of- service
<br />analysis, an improvement over she 000kiC-
<br />cu¢ermeahod. but still not a IM IM solution
<br />The problem %\rich both approaches is char
<br />they considet parks only as recreational facili-
<br />ties. E en the more up-to -data, I.OS version
<br />is based upon resident demand gar tiered from
<br />use and survet data fed into a formula char
<br />dcteunines the amount of space needed for
<br />ballficlds. sports courts, and other lacilicics .
<br />r hedemand for unstructured pm k space such
<br />as open lawns or woodcd mess is not ad-
<br />dressed How milmsurveysincludequcstions
<br />about those kinds Ofspaces?
<br />I he lacy is char parks play muhiplc roles in
<br />r
<br />ou communities Parks ale inmgral pasts of
<br />Oil] physical, social. emotional, and in surnc
<br />catis, spiritual landscapes. They puwick pub-
<br />licgadbcringplaces Paiksanclopanspacesare
<br />it critical cool for prutcccingnarural resources.
<br />F:xposr.uc to green spaces helps )educe ()inr
<br />Suess levels Parks as open space have a key
<br />urban design role in develuplIrCM paler [IS
<br />None of those functions is agxured by the
<br />recreational facility standards we use corLo
<br />Standards chat Wilke into account prnximitp,
<br />service atcas, and percentage of land cover -. are
<br />:m irnprovomcnr but dhcvsdll Gill short.
<br />What we need is it set of indicators that
<br />relates ro par k function in a more huliscic w :n
<br />'That might mean luo6;ing ac the amount of
<br />previous land cover - pert :enrage of n-cecanof,N
<br />or public triangulation points phis kind of
<br />nwltivariahle analysis, uahilc made easier by
<br />geo�r phic information systerns. is still sure
<br />to be unannfmtalsk nest But es the great
<br />landscape pl :uincr Jens it Frisco said. ".A little
<br />iucom.-enicoce Ion clue sake of it benci envi-
<br />ronment is well worth the Cris[...
<br />MatyLP.a, bar%
<br />HS01IMch it uaiantla I Loch 1=allmv.0 the 1- Iz1:ud
<br />Scl„ol of I )cviro t
<br />goal for its newer, denser subdivisions: No house
<br />can be more than three block from a park.
<br />"These newer homes have virtually no yards,
<br />so it kind of balances-," Baird says, and closer
<br />packs help give more breathing room and play
<br />space. Today, she says, upwards of 90 percent of
<br />the city s 551,000 people live within the man -
<br />dared six blocks of the city's 6,200 acres of
<br />parldand
<br />Denver officials are also "repurposing' land
<br />for parks One approach is to convert sites for
<br />"learning landscapes," Using bond funding, more
<br />than 200 old, gravel- covered elementary and
<br />middle school grounds me being revamped with
<br />Trees, gardens, artwork, and playground equip-
<br />ment. The new landscapes remain part of the
<br />school properry but will be accessible to the
<br />public after school hours and on weekends
<br />With schoolyards located every half mile, the
<br />learning landscapes add green space to builr-our
<br />neighborhoods that previously lacked adequate
<br />parks and open areas. "They really provide a
<br />large amenity in Elie neighborhoods," says Baird.
<br />Seatde, while not quite at this point yet, is
<br />steadily approaching its rwo distinct goals: In
<br />the single - family neighborhoods (which cover
<br />about 70 percent of the city), the half -mile
<br />srandard is close to being met, says Kevin
<br />Stoops, Elie planning manager for Seattle's
<br />parks and recreation department.
<br />In the denser, multifamily and commercial
<br />neighborhoods, designated "urban villages,"
<br />the city's goal is to have a park or mini -park
<br />no more than an eighth of a mile from every
<br />resident Stoops escimaces that close to 60
<br />percent of those areas will meet that goal
<br />within the next few years
<br />11 ulkin., ss. drihing
<br />Numerous recent studies show that Ameri-
<br />cans today are rarely willing to walk more
<br />than a block or two Some are physically
<br />incapable of going farrher; others may be
<br />afraid to cross neighborhood boundaries; many
<br />more simply do not have the time Forseniors
<br />and young children, time and capability fac-
<br />tors become even more of an issue.
<br />"Most people perceive parks as strong
<br />amenities, and more people will use them if
<br />they're within walking distance," says Rich-
<br />ard IGllingsworch, director of the Active Liv-
<br />ing by Design program at the University of
<br />North Carolina
<br />Officials in cities with walkable park dis-
<br />tance standards say chat pedestrian accessibil-
<br />ity increases physical fitness and general good
<br />health. Moreover, accessible city parks allow
<br />neighbors to connect during morning play-
<br />ground sessions, lunchrime picnics, afternoon
<br />pick -up games, after- dinner strolls, or week-
<br />39
<br />Denver is conuo tingtcboolrodr into peuklik,
<br />'leaning lard caper, "open to the public aJir;
<br />end festivals It is relationships with people
<br />that make parks more than just fields. trees,
<br />and playground equipment.
<br />On the otter hand, a distance of over halCa
<br />mile to a park almost guarantees char most
<br />people will either skip the nip or they will
<br />drive. Once a standard is downgraded so iliac
<br />it is based on driving, it loses the `commu-
<br />nity" portion of the benefit. Ar iliac ioinr, it
<br />no longer matters how far away the park. is
<br />The part: has become a formal destination,
<br />not a place to drop in
<br />Other issues also enter the equation Those
<br />who must travel a greater distance ro get to the
<br />park ire less likely to know other par visitors
<br />Younger children and teens will no longer be
<br />able to get ro the park on their own More
<br />drivers may make it necessary to devote parr
<br />of the pack irself to a parking lot
<br />IlarII is, Ina r t
<br />The health value also goes down. According
<br />to a stadyon obesity, community design, and
<br />physical activity soon to be published by
<br />LawrenceD FranlcofClheSahoolofComnhtl-
<br />niry and Regional Planning at the University
<br />of British Columbia, every additional hour
<br />Spent in a car is associated with a six percent
<br />increase in the likelihood of obesity
<br />But even it city that recognizes the connec-
<br />tion between fitness and walking cm have
<br />trouble meeting the standard In its 1933
<br />parks master plan, officials in Austin set it goal
<br />of placing every resident within one mile of it
<br />park But even iliac rather low goal has been
<br />
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