The Recreation Planning Process

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The Recreation Planning Process
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What areas do we plan for?

• Sites
• Attractions
• Small parks
• Festivals sites
• Regions
• Government jurisdictions
• Naturally-occurring areas
• Large government-designated areas

Sites
Region
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Recreation planning

• Types of planning
• Short range
• 1-4 years
• Long range or strategic
• 5-10 years or longer
• Continuous

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About the planning process...

• Government agency, community, or NGO driven
• Requires public involvement to be successful
• Must be flexible!!
• Is painful!!

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Planning process

• Background
• Mission
• Vision
• Goals
• Objectives
• Action plan
• Implementation
• Evaluation feedback

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1 - Background

• What background information is needed?
• Concerns of residents
• Existing potential issues
• Inventory of resources attractions
• Agency/volunteer support
• Budgetary situation

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2 - Mission

• What is the purpose of your group or recreation
  program?
• A broad-based statement of the purpose of your
  group.

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Example Mission

• CNE mission CNE is a not-for-profit (501(c)(3))
  environmental education organization committed to
  promoting environmental awareness, understanding,
  and responsible natural resource stewardship
  among all people, especially children. CNE
  accomplishes this through teaching and
  interactive activities at Baltimore Woods as well
  as urban, suburban, and other rural landscapes of
  Central New York.

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3 - Vision

• Where/What do you want to be in the future?
• In 1 year?
• In 5 years?
• In 10 years?

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Example Vision

• We envision CNE as an organization that
• provides increased off-site nature education
  programs in urban and other areas that cultivate
  responsible stewardship

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4 - Goals

• Definition
• The end product resulting from implementation of
  the recreation plan
• Goals should be
• Measurable
• Feasible
• Appropriate

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Example Vision to Goals...

• CNE goal 6. To increase and strengthen
  partnerships between CNE and local school
  districts and other organizations so that CNE
  programs are provided to quadruple the current
  number of schools and organizations by 2008.
  (NOTE Programs were provided to about 50 schools
  in 2002.)

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5 - Objectives

• Definition
• Statements that clearly identify how goals will
  be accomplished.
• Objective statements should include
• WHO - WHAT- WHERE - WHEN - WHY

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Example Goals to objectives...

• Objective To expand CNEs school programs in the
  Central NY area by 2008 by promotion of CNEs
  programs to an additional 30 schools annually
  through direct contact by CNEs program
  coordinator.

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6 - Action Plan

• Definition
• A detailed account of how you will implement your
  objectives.
• Includes
• Steps involved
• Person responsible
• Date of completion

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Example Objectives to Action plan...

• Objective To expand CNEs school programs in the
  Central NY area by 2008 by promotion of CNEs
  programs to an additional 30 schools annually
  through direct contact by CNEs program
  coordinator.
• Action plan
• Create promotional materials
• Identify schools to be targeted
• Contact schools

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7 - Implementation

• The hardest step of the planning process!
• What holds up implementation?
• Budget constraints
• Time constraints
• Lack of staff or volunteers
• Political constraints

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8 - Evaluation

• Provides feedback for the planning process.
• Identify how the plan will be evaluated before it
  is implemented!
• Evaluation strategies are determined by the goals
  objectives.

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Example Evaluating the plan...

• How could CNE evaluate their objective?
• Was a promotional campaign carried out?
• Was the number of schools expanded to 200 by 2008?

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Planning Considerations
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Foster community support

• Obtain public input
• Public meetings
• Public surveys or polls
• Have community residents on planning committees
• Keep the public informed
• Create a sense of ownership

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Protecting land

• Conservation easements
• Purchase of development rights
• Regional comprehensive plan
• Local Waterfront Revitalization Plans (LWRPs)
• Zoning

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Obtaining land

• Fee simple purchase
• Leasebacks
• Condemnation
• Eminent domain
• Purchase price established

Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, MI
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Information resources

• Promotional
• Directional
• Regulatory
• Interpretive or educational

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Know your visitors

• Who are visitors (e.g., families, seniors)?
• Where are visitors coming from?
• How will visitors get to your area?
• What activities are visitors interested in?
• What needs do visitors have?

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Maintaining facilities

• Who will be maintaining the facility?
• Who will be paying for the maintenance?
• How often will maintenance be done?

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Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

• Requirements standards for all new public
  construction
• Readily achievable removal of barriers in
  existing public facilities
• Applies to all disabilities
• Compliance by 1992

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ADA Priorities

• 1 - Accessible entrance
• 1 accessible space per 25 spaces
• Ramp slope 1 rise 12 length
• Door width of 32 minimum
• 2 - Access to goods services
• 3 - Rest rooms
• 4 - Any other measures necessary