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event—like traffic enforcement,crowd control,and trash and even corporations,are happy to make contributions to park
<br /> removal. Recently park departments have moved to use certain agencies and programs solely to improve the community in
<br /> private-sector park events as income generators—and many which they live or operate.
<br /> companies are happy to comply in return for positive name and Margaret Frisbie,director of Chicago's Parkways
<br /> logo recognition. Foundation,certainly notices it. "People are moving back into
<br /> Thus,in Portland,the Trailblazers of the NBA sponsor a Chicago from the suburbs and they are excited about the parks,"
<br /> citywide three-on-three basketball competition called"Hoop It she says. "There is a sense of pride and civic duty—and not just
<br /> Up"that in 1997 generated$10,000 for Portland Parks and on the lakefront,either. People call us up and say they would
<br /> Recreation's Drug Free League.The Chicago Park District hosts like to do something for the parks."
<br /> a similar event sponsored by the Chicago Bulls among others. In In fact,predicts Wheeling's Randy Worls,contributions will
<br /> Austin,the$300,000 cost of the parks and recreation eventually become the dominant financial source for parks in
<br /> department's annual Yule Fest lighted-trail extravaganza was cities. "The future of park funding is in philanthropy—
<br /> recently picked up by Dell Computer in return for publicity donations from`regular'people,people who are not presently
<br /> and recognition.The pinnacle(thus far)was reached in 1996, giving big money to anything,"he says.Worls has already built
<br /> when the Walt Disney Co.paid New York$1 million for the Wheeling's park foundation into an impressive powerhouse
<br /> right to hold a one-time public premiere screening of the movie which generates between$1 million and$2 million in interest
<br /> Pocahontas in Central Park. payments per year—money that is used for park maintenance.
<br /> While all that money makes some park advocates heady, the His goal is to increase the endowment to$75 million,which
<br /> commercialism leaves others a bit woozy. "What would would generate enough interest to cover all park maintenance
<br /> Frederick Law Olmsted have felt about these highly costs in Wheeling.
<br /> conspicuous partnerships,complete with logos,company The largest-scale fund-raising is,again,in New York,where the
<br /> names,and other commercial trappings?"asks Phyllis Myers, Central Park Conservancy,City Parks Foundation,Prospect Park
<br /> long-time park watcher and editor of GreenSense, a newsletter Alliance,and a half-dozen other park organizations collectively pull
<br /> on park funding. "On the one hand,he designed his parks to be in about$18 million in donations a year.Other cities are
<br /> refuges from the commerce of the city;on the other hand,he scrambling to take advantage of the pro-park constituency,too.San
<br /> wrote passionately about his goal of providing activities so that Francisco's Friends of Recreation and Parks raises about$1.5
<br /> people of all classes and cultures could meet,mix,and interact. million a year for park-related improvements,and a citywide task
<br /> His parks were emphatically not designed to be wilderness areas, force is currently looking into establishing a conservancy specifically
<br /> but he did want them to be green,naturalistic havens.To the geared to Golden Gate Park.Clevelanders and Seattlites are
<br /> extent that these public-private enterprises eliminate the exploring the possibility of starting park fundraising organizations
<br /> differentiation between the commercial city and the naturalistic for their cities,too.
<br /> park,many people feel that something gets irretrievably lost."
<br /> Conclusion
<br /> Facilities It is evident that park and recreation programs have tremendous
<br /> Raising corporate and philanthropic money to construct, intrinsic worth that many people are willing to pay for,even
<br /> improve or rehabilitate physical structures in parks is often over and above their tax dollars when those tax dollars don't go
<br /> relatively easy.The problem,sometimes,comes in with the far enough.The current moves toward park privatization seem
<br /> name,the signage, or the logo that companies want to to reflect conscious calculations on the part of both politicians
<br /> accompany their gift. and park advocates.The politicians are willing to cut park
<br /> In Chicago,for instance,the H &R Block Foundation budgets because they believe their actions will be"covered"by
<br /> donated$1 million to construct a cancer survivors'garden for private funds that flow into the gap,the advocates are willing to
<br /> which Block requested three signs of recognition.The Park invest time and effort into private fundraising because they fear
<br /> District permitted only one. "We have a special enhancement they don't have the political clout to win a lobbying battle over
<br /> committee to protect against over-commercialism in the parks," park budgets.
<br /> explains assistant superintendent Ed Uhlir, "and we relied on In most communities privatization is slowly gaining,both
<br /> their recommendation." because it's seen as less risky by park advocates and also because
<br /> Austin, too, "is being fairly purist right now,"according to it gradually gives them a greater say in how the parks are run.
<br /> Planning Division manager Stuart Strong. Controversy recently How long this trend continues—and how far it goes—only time
<br /> erupted when Motorola Corporation offered to buy the will tell.
<br /> community theater a new sign in exchange for placing the
<br /> company logo on it. "It would be good to find some external • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
<br /> money,"Strong sighed, "but the question is:What is the The PAS Memo is a monthly publication for subscribers to the Planning Advisory Service,
<br /> a subscription research service of the American Planning Association:Frank S.So,
<br /> appropriate trade-off?" Executive Director;William R.Klein,Director of Research.
<br /> Other cities may be somewhat less choosy. Portland,Oregon, The PAS Memo is produced by APA staff in Chicago.Research and writing by Research
<br /> is presently negotiating one deal to name a sports complex after Department staff:Marya Morris and Megan Lewis,Editors.Production by Publications
<br /> Department staff Cynthia Cheski,Assistant Editor;Lisa Barton,Design Associate.
<br /> a corporation or entity willing to pay about$140,000 a year for
<br /> the privilege,another to sell about$100,000 a year of sponsor Copyright©l998 by American Planning Association,122 S.Michigan Ave.,Suite 1600,
<br /> Chicago,IL 60603;e-mail:pasmemo @planning.org.The American Planning Association
<br /> opportunities on and around a new softball complex,and a
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<br /> g a All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
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