As the month of June comes to a close, let’s look ahead to next month because it is Park and Recreation Month. The National Recreation and Park Association (NPRA) explains that during July communities across the country will recognize the importance of parks and recreation services with themission to serve residents and give them a place to appreciate nature, to exercise, to socialize, and to have fun. NPRA has a plethora of tools and resources to help celebrate. Here are five resources from the Knowledge Network that highlight park and recreation initiatives:

1. In New Smyrna Beach, Florida, engaged its youth community to help design a universally accessible playground. The municipality also designed an award winning beachfront park.
2. Carlsbad, California, is taking a new approach to improving its parks and recreation services without incurring any additional expenses.
3. In 2003, San Francisco, California, launched park scan to provide residents with a user friendly web portal to cite needed improvements for city parks directly to city staff. This report provides an overview of this initiative.
4. Park City, Utah, received multiple awards for its park and recreation operations.
5. The Germantown, Tennessee, Park and Recreation Department tapped into the local food movement and developed a community farm in one of its parks. 

To explore more of the resources ICMA has on parks and recreation, check out its topic page on the Knowledge Network.

How does your community celebrate Parks and Recreation Month? Please share your comments below.

Douglas Shontz

Knowledge Network Intern