When it comes to telling stories, more often than not the focus is on the words used to relate the tale. In today’s world, however, data is king and, when combined with words, serves to enhance the telling of those stories. How we tell our story is as important as its content, and this sentiment was borne out in the recent NRPA Innovation Lab on “Data-Driven Government and Parks and Recreation,” held in Boston, Massachusetts.

Gathering Data

During the Innovation Lab, Chris Cook, Boston Parks and Recreation commissioner, and Nigel Jacob and Kris Carter from the Boston Office of New Urban Mechanics, shared how Boston Parks and Recreation collected data about its parks system, which was then used to inform the department’s programming decisions and support its master planning. 

By 2013, a century had passed since a survey of Boston’s parks assets had been undertaken. A daunting task to be sure, but in order to determine (1) what it owned, (2) where those assets were located, and (3) what shape they were in, a new survey of the city’s 330-plus parks was needed. A small team was assembled to undertake this inventory and, during the course of a few summers, a huge amount of data was collected. Boston Parks and Recreation turned to Sasaki Associates, an international, interdisciplinary planning and design firm, to help make sense of the new information. Sasaki developed a tool to break down data in various ways — such as distance of amenity from the household/people being served — and helped the department to ensure it was making investments equitably across its constituency. The tool also assists with visualization of new spaces, as Boston looks to add more than 53,000 housing units in the coming years.

Park and recreation agencies cited deficits of analytical skills and time, along with limited resources, as significant challenges when it comes to analyzing data. Interestingly, the data-analysis tool used most often by park and recreation departments is already on most computers: Microsoft Excel. Another important consideration, particularly for park and recreation professionals, is that data needs to be kept fresh. It’s not enough to collect data one time: It has to be done on an ongoing basis and kept up to date. 

Telling Stories

The data has been gathered and analyzed; now, it’s time to share your findings. Cook cautioned against the tendency to only share the good points: “Don’t be afraid to share some of the things you’re not doing so great on,” he says. Embracing challenges along with accomplishments lets city leadership, employees and residents know an agency is aware of and planning to rectify those issues. The information you’ve collected can also be useful to other organizations that have a vested interest in the well-being of the community, so, when appropriate, be willing to share data with others. They may be able to offer insights that you may not have considered.

One way to quickly share key metrics with stakeholders is through the use of a dashboard. Dashboards provide a quick overview of key performance indicators (KPIs) and help viewers visualize complex data. Boston Parks and Recreation’s metrics flow into a dashboard called CityScore (www.cityofboston.gov/cityscore), a new initiative designed to inform Boston’s mayor and city managers about the overall health of the city at a moment’s notice. Most park and recreation agencies have dashboards that are inward-facing, used to gauge progress on their strategic goals; currently, about one-third of agencies use dashboards to communicate their accomplishments and challenges with the general public. 

 

Innovation Lab: Portland

The next stop for NRPA’s Innovation Lab is Portland, Oregon, where discussions will focus on social equity. August 3-5, join NRPA and thought leaders from both inside and outside the field for an interactive event designed to help us better understand how park design, policy implementation and program development can influence the way communities are served, the diversity of the workforce and see how Portland has worked to engage community members to create better, more equitable outcomes. 

— Sonia Myrick, Managing Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine