Explore how research provides the information and data needed to understand and respond to community needs and preferences.
Discover how parks and recreation drives impactful, transformative and equitable solutions to help communities thrive today and in the future.
Discover how we can integrate practices, policies and programs to serve all community members fairly.
Explore how equitable access to parks and recreation fosters health and wellness in communities of all sizes.
Discover how parks and recreation helps communities grow as we celebrate Park and Recreation Month in July.
Discover how park and recreation spaces and programs provide solutions to public health issues and foster health and wellness for all.
By promoting safety-conscious behavior and building self-defense knowledge, park and recreation professionals steward safe spaces for all.
A sense of connection with nature, often sparked by local parks, motivates community members to protect wildlife and natural spaces.
Recognize the importance of innovation within each of us and within the field of parks and recreation.
The best way for us to make an impact on the world is to be fully invested in whatever we are pursuing and put in the work.
By investing in NRPA and our mission, we are building the momentum of a flywheel — a virtuous circle.
We know that to advocate for our field, it is important to tell our park and recreation stories.
On September 28, NRPA made a commitment to reduce hunger and improve health and well-being across the nation at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.
The only wrong way to approach equity work is to avoid beginning your journey of learning and trying.
What better way to make people feel important than investing in the places, spaces and programs that deliver on park and recreation benefits?
NRPA Chair Carolyn F. McKnight-Fredd encourages us to consider how the spaces and activities parks and recreation offer allow us to "see each other in our full humanity."
I Rise Up for Parks and Recreation | Perspectives | Parks & Recreation Magazine | NRPA
In what ways is your agency cultivating health and well-being in your community?
As part of the public health system, parks and recreation have an inherent role of safety and protection that plays out in numerous ways.
This Earth Day, take time to consider how your agency can innovate to address current and impending climate impacts.
Parks and recreation as critical community infrastructure is a multi-faceted, complex and essential truth.
The field of parks and recreation is full of remarkable people who step up every day.
When we combine increasing accessibility with evolving products like electronic bikes, we find challenges that need to be managed.
This year presented many challenges on top of a very difficult 2020, but also it provided cause for celebration.
Quantifying the value of our parks with research and data helps amplify our story of the importance of parks.
Access to recreation begins with proximity of our residents to a park or open space.
As you dive into the September issue and explore the history of parks and recreation, I challenge you to reflect on why equity and inclusion matter.
There has never been a better time to promote our parks as essential to our communities.
Our park and recreation stories are embedded in why professionals joined this field and stuck with it.
Health and wellness include prioritizing the importance of nutrition through healthy eating and offering access to food.
I invite all our park and recreation colleagues to think about your two to three most important goals each year.
NRPA’s organizational mission calls for us to serve as catalysts of positive change for equity, climate-readiness and overall well-being.
As we look to make the most of our limited resources in the coming years, let us make sure that we are staying true to universal design and ethical planning principles.
Park professionals across the country are looked upon as leaders in our respective states, cities, towns and neighborhoods.
Many trends we discussed in the past accelerated in 2020 — including how we face increasing degrees of uncertainty, and our principle job is understanding how we navigate that uncertainty.
Parks play an incredible role in hosting special events, producing special events and, most importantly, generating revenue for local municipalities.
Through research and evaluation, NRPA wants to demonstrate how the park and recreation field is an essential solution provider for our most pressing health, environmental and social issues.
NRPA Board Chair Jack Kardys reflects on his time as chair of the board and discusses the future opportunities he sees for NRPA and the field of parks and recreation.
With the launch of our strategic plan — We Are Parks And Recreation — NRPA has explicitly placed equity at the center of everything we do.
NRPA’s Pillars of Health and Wellness and Conservation often are interpreted as “what we do,” while Equity is the heart of “what we stand for.”
This year, we are using Park and Recreation Month to kick off an ongoing push to elevate the field of parks and recreation by celebrating you.
Parks and recreation is resilient, and NRPA’s leadership will continue to serve as the beacon for best practices in our profession.
Times of crisis demand different things from us as leaders. There is no one better prepared for this role at this time, because these are qualities you display in your work, day after day.
As a key pillar, conservation is a priority for our NRPA Public Policy team, which advocates on Capitol Hill for much-needed funding for our industry to continue that work.
NRPA remains committed to raising awareness about the importance of equitable design in parks and providing the tools and resources to help our members achieve community-centered park planning objectives.
NRPA currently is exploring international relationships that create opportunities for education, networking and professional development; best practices research and data sharing; and communications and promotion.
In the January issue, we dig into the trends that are impacting the field of parks and recreation, including those that create opportunities to leverage or challenges to manage.
As park planners, we need to bring our residents, community stakeholders and elected officials to the table for broader conversations about wants, needs and challenges.
Tackling the challenge of building a truly inclusive parks movement can feel quite daunting, but there are seven critical questions that can help generate ideas and creative thinking around any challenge.
With an 8 percent drop in child participation rates in the last decade, the sports gap is growing, especially for lower-income families in communities where parks are underfunded.
