Park and Recreation Trends

Cost Recovery, or Running Like a Business: Park and recreation departments are increasingly looking to generate revenue through fees and partnerships to subsidize operations.

The Rise of Data: Major studies and data resources, like TPL’s ParkScore, have emerged to help benchmark operations, fine-tune resource allocation, and gain funding support.

Technology Changes Everything: Technological advances, including management software, online facility reservations, and widespread Wi-Fi access, have transformed how facilities operate and how people interact with them.

Conservation & Sustainability: Driven by climate concerns, conservation and sustainability efforts have become essential, influencing facility design, construction, and operation through resource conservation, eco-friendly practices, and formal standards like LEED certification.

Diversity & Inclusion: A commitment to diversity and inclusion drives decisions to provide equitable access and engagement in recreation for all people, influencing accessibility of facilities and programs

Diversification of Design & Offerings: Aquatic facilities have moved away from traditional rectangular pools toward diverse designs, including zero-depth entries and water slides, alongside more diverse programming like water-based fitness classes.
Aquatic Safety Advances: Aquatic safety has advanced through improved lifeguard training, better indoor ventilation systems, and nationally mandated anti-entrapment measures.
Secondary Disinfection: Secondary disinfection has become necessary to combat chlorine-resistant pathogens, particularly in high-risk aquatic areas like splash play facilities.
Aquatic Accessibility: In 2010, ADA Standards for Accessible Design started to require that newly constructed or altered pools include accessible entry methods, such as pool lifts or sloped entries.
Splash Play: Zero-depth interactive fountain areas, or splash play, have become a booming trend in parks, with designs focused on inclusive experiences.

Inclusive Play: Playground design has progressed from mere ADA accessibility to genuine inclusive play, ensuring children of all abilities can play alongside one another on the same equipment, addressing a broad range of physical and developmental needs.
Playground Safety & Perceived Risk: Playground innovation balances greater perceived risk (e.g., higher towers) with stringent safety maintenance, relying on adherence to established standards, professional certification, and improved surfacing materials.
Screen Time Competition: Parks are increasingly having to compete with youth screen time, employing elaborate, adventurous playgrounds and specialized facilities (like skate parks) to boost play value and encourage outdoor activity.
Dog Parks: Dog parks have become a rapidly expanding community trend, now included in over a quarter of facilities surveyed, featuring increasingly sophisticated designs with amenities like agility equipment and size-separated areas for safer play.

Trails & Active Transportation: The successful development of multiuse trails, including the conversion of former rail corridors, provides alternative transportation routes, connects people to nature, and offers significant community health and economic benefits.

Outdoor Fitness: Parks are increasingly incorporating outdoor fitness areas and equipment, offering a key solution to address public health issues.
Waterfront Reclamation & Development: Waterfront reclamation and development have transformed former industrial sites into public gathering places, creating vibrant communities with varied active and passive recreational amenities like riverwalks and on-water features.

Recreation & Wellness Centers: Larger community recreation and wellness centers have boomed, integrating a diverse array of advanced amenities, fitness options, and sports courts for multiple generations.
Active Aging: The aging, physically active Baby Boomer population has necessitated adjustments to programming and amenities to support active wellness regimens in retirement, leading to the development of dedicated centers for the 50+ demographic.
The X Games Effect & Youth Sports Diversification: While traditional sports once dominated school and community sports programs, today people of all ages have a wider array of sports programs, including lacrosse, rugby, pickleball, ultimate frisbee and more, leading to higher overall participation.
Surface Evolution: Sports surfaces have evolved significantly, moving beyond traditional materials to adopt improved synthetic court materials, fitness surfaces, and synthetic turf systems that offer better safety and playability as well as easier
maintenance.
Lighting & Scoreboard Updates: LED technology has transformed sports facilities by providing longer-lasting lighting that minimizes light spill and modernized scoreboards and videoboards that enhance the spectator experience and allow for
advertising revenue generation.

Changing Room Changes: Modern designs for locker rooms are more aesthetically pleasing, with a focus on inclusion achieved through improved fixtures, lighting, and the introduction of family or private changing and showering spaces.
Fitness Programming & Equipment Diversifies: Fitness equipment has advanced with sophisticated technology and integration (e.g., cross-trainers and integrated entertainment), while programming has diversified to include popular group exercise and virtual workouts that extend reach.
Integration of Fitness & Health Care: Addressing public health issues like obesity and aging, the integration of fitness and health care is highlighted by the “Exercise is Medicine” initiative, which standardizes physical activity assessment and promotion within clinical care.