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8 Planning August 2001 ',.
<br /> M
<br /> Fieldhouses vs.Meadows:The Debate Goes On `
<br /> , 410 Recreation has been an important element since the ,. "tw w
<br /> '^
<br /> beginning of the parks movement.Frederick Law Olmsted ;� ° h ' , ` -
<br /> and his 19th century followers provided canals and 0,*, '" '
<br /> lagoons for rowing,trails for walking,hills for sledding,
<br /> and open fields for picnicking and games. As early as '
<br /> 1870,Olmsted and Vaux included playing fields in their l , 0--°
<br /> design for Chicago's Washington Park.
<br /> By the turn of the century, the recreation movement
<br /> began in earnest.Advocates promoted organized activi- 4 , r �`
<br /> ties and dedicated facilities as a cure for juvenile delin- „"
<br /> quency and other social ills. Over the next 50 years, the qfd�'
<br /> demand for recreation grew to the extent that it over- :'
<br /> shadowed the philosophy behind the Olmsted parks an d }`
<br /> changed the connotation of the word"park."
<br /> By the 1960s, most cities had combined their parks ^,lea fir+
<br /> department with their recreation department.Since then,
<br /> the emphasis on recreation has continued and the role of a . ��
<br /> park professionals, such as landscape architects, bota- �� xi
<br /> ` 4 a ,u 44 ry,
<br /> nists,and arborists,has been diminished or eliminated as s W,
<br /> park systems have faced fiscal pressures.
<br /> Recreation facilities and programming get the lion's Mayors at a City Parks Forum press conference lastApril
<br /> share of funding in most communities, because they fit in Louisville.From left.:JeffGriffin(Reno,Nevada),
<br /> the cost-benefit model, acknowledges John Crompton, Kenneth Barr(Fort Worth, Texas),
<br /> of Texas A&M University."Over the years,parks people
<br /> became overly concerned with funding. They use a
<br /> • revenue-driven decision making process that only looks Elected officials are also beginning to take no-
<br /> at cost and return." tice of parks,in part because the modern business
<br /> In a recreation-dominated system,pure parks tend to community is increasingly aware of their value.As
<br /> be carved up and devoted to recreational facilities. "I John Crompton, of Texas A&M University, au-
<br /> used to think that a park could accommodate recre- thor of an upcoming APA Planning Advisory
<br /> ational facilities as long as the facilities don't dominate Service report on the economic value of parks and
<br /> the character of the park," says Lee Springgate, former recreation,points out,companies in a technologi-
<br /> director of the Bellevue,Washington,Parks Department cal economy are free to choose their locations.
<br /> and principal of the Point Wilson Group consulting Evidence is mounting,he says,that quality of
<br /> firm. life is the primary factor in choosing where to
<br /> "But most communities haven't found a way to meet locate a business and that access to parks and
<br /> recreational needs without denigrating the informal park recreational opportunities is central to quality of
<br /> space,"Springgate adds."Most suburban parks from the
<br /> last 30 years are nothing more than a recreational activity
<br /> center with a landscaped edge. How you choose to
<br /> develop a space dictates the use. If you build baseball
<br /> diamonds then you have no choice but baseball. The A place for kids':Sketchers from Louisville Collegiate
<br /> space is clearly intended for one activity and it will School in Cherokee Park(far left)
<br /> remain empty until someone shows up to play baseball." , ',,.+.." W {
<br /> In contrast, parks that provide unstructured open a s `
<br /> space invite users to exercise their imaginations.A base-
<br /> ball game may break out in a meadow, says Springgate, , --
<br /> but a rugby match won't start on a baseball diamond. l
<br /> The irony is that the focus on "active" recreational ® ,
<br /> facilities devalues and discourages other activities that 1 ° ,
<br /> are erroneously classified as"passive." +' 1
<br /> Springgate bristles at the use of both terms, "Go to a % 11
<br /> • park where there are three slow pitch softball games a. ..
<br /> .,.�, � '
<br /> being played and you'll find a few people active in eac h
<br /> game at any one time. Compare that to all the people '°
<br /> walking,biking,climbing trails,and tossing frisbees and "" ,• "�
<br /> ask yourself,"Who's active?"
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