How to make parks a welcoming place for everyone.

Parks offer people the chance to enjoy fun and recreational activities within a natural setting which can significantly improve quality of life, especially for those who live in a densely populated, urban environment. In some instances, however, people coming from disadvantaged, underserved communities may feel less welcome when visiting these spaces and may stop participating in activities at parks altogether. To avoid this, park administrators need to actively engage with the community to determine what can be done to create a more inclusive environment—one which meets the specific needs of the community and encourages its residents to become regular patrons of the parks. Sammie Powers, assistant professor in the Recreation Management program within the School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management (SRTM) at George Mason University, recently shared her insights on how to create a culture within parks and recreational spaces that facilitates equitable access and is welcoming to all.

Authenticity is important.

To be effective in creating an inclusive environment within parks, recreation and parks agency leaders must establish a level of trust with the communities they serve. In doing so, they must be authentic and show that internally they commit to the same values of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in managing their own agencies that they advocate for publicly. Without this level of authenticity, marketing efforts aimed at promoting parks as welcoming, inclusive, and diverse may be perceived as superficial and unsupported by meaningful policies or practices.

Hiring needs to reflect the face of the community.

One way in which parks and recreation leaders can demonstrate commitment to DEI is by hiring employees that reflect the actual makeup of the diverse community the park serves. It is important that parks maintain a strong retention program through which staff perceive a trajectory for future career growth. Most importantly, park leaders must ensure that employees develop a sense of belonging and feel that they are truly valued as key to the operations of the park.

Volunteers should be engaged and represent the community.

A strong volunteer program that includes representation and engagement from a diverse community is essential to creating an inclusive atmosphere within parks and recreational facilities. It is critical to invest in volunteer programs and to recognize volunteers for the crucial work they do in areas such as trail maintenance, conservation efforts, helping park visitors, leading tours, conducting educational programs, providing support for park events, routine upkeep of facilities, and the many other duties that are part of the day-to-day operations of a park.

Professional development of park staff and volunteers should include DEI.

Park staff and volunteers should be given DEI training that includes an open discussion of the history of the park's land. The history behind some of this nation’s most beautiful and majestic parks unfortunately includes a dark side where certain populations inhabiting those lands were involuntarily displaced. Often those populations were Indigenous People, African Americans, or other communities of color. A historical reckoning of what happened to these people can instill a deeper understanding and appreciation among park employees of the injustices suffered by these populations. It can also allow park leaders to educate the public by having transparent conversations about some of the more shameful aspects of a park’s history.

Conversations and stories such as these can be communicated in an equitable and inclusive manner through exhibits that are made available to the public. One of these, located in New York City’s Central Park, is an outdoor educational exhibit recounting the history of Seneca Village, a nineteenth century community of African American landowners who lived on a parcel of land in Manhattan. The land was forcibly taken from them by the government through eminent domain to establish what is now a sizable portion of Central Park. Exhibits such as these can raise awareness of the struggles experienced by diverse and underrepresented populations who were forcibly evicted from their homes and had their properties seized for public use.

A data-driven approach helps allocate park resources more equitably according to need.

When it comes to decision making on how to equitably allocate resources to build a new park or improve an existing park that better serves the community, it is essential that park leaders use a data-driven approach. Through the collection of data, park administrators can measure community demographics that may influence the usage of parks and recreational spaces. This data can guide policymakers in putting resources into those park facilities and amenities that have the greatest appeal to members of the community and would result in the most usage. For example, data indicating that a neighborhood adjacent to an existing park is comprised of families with young children might support investments of playground equipment at a park.

Before deciding to build a new park, careful consideration might be given to data which shows whether there are any existing recreational spaces or facilities used by residents. If so, are they located farther away from the community than the proposed location of the new park? Data such as this could provide insight into what the future usage of a new park would be and whether those projections would justify the expenditure of funds to build a new park.

Data can also shed light on the obstacles that residents already encounter in visiting their local neighborhood park. There may be concerns about personal safety or the condition of the facilities. In addition, the activities offered at a park simply may not align with the interests of people who live nearby. This type of data can help park planners make decisions on how to equitably and effectively allocate funds to remove such obstacles. Data can also show if resources and funds already spent on park improvement projects achieved the desired objective, such as higher park and facility usage numbers.

To learn more about degree offerings in the Recreation Management program within Mason’s School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management, please visit the program website.