Canyons, Plazas, and Parks: Meeting our Changing Needs for Public Spaces CITIZENS COORDINATE FOR CENTURY 3 LOOKS AT THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO PARKS MASTER PLAN

Really big picture stuff THE EXISTENTIAL QUESTION Who do we want to be? Parks Planning is a character test. WHAT DO WE REALLY WANT IN/FROM PARKS? Attitudes and desires have changed since the last PMP was done. PARK PLANNING SHOULD BE OUTCOME-DRIVEN We know about health outcomes associated with neighborhood and community design.

The super basics WHAT IS A PARKS MASTER PLAN? What’s in it? What should it do? Similar to other long-range and resource plans. WHAT’S A PARK (obviously a very broad question)? Is a bench a park? Is a soccer field a park? A trail? Plan should define. WHAT ARE PARKS FOR? They can be a lot of different things, meant to do a lot of different things. But there are some fundamental commonalities.

The FUNDAMENTALS PARKS ARE FOR RECREATION. BUT WHAT IS RECREATION? QUICK BIT OF HISTORY Parks evolve somewhat from gardens, and there are various forms of sport across time Our “modern” interpretation of these things really begins, like city planning, as a response to the industrial revolution Moment of note: 1860 – the workweek was reduced from over 60 hours to around 50 hours per week – people now had discretionary time to spend (leisure time vs. recreation)

The FUNDAMENTALS About the same time that NYC’s Central Park reaches completion (very long, public effort which is/was emblematic of parks movement) OLMSTED AND VAUX Among the many successes of Central Park was the creation of “rooms” Distinct spaces, somehow feel separated from the city Visitor able to come and easily “disconnect” from hectic, pressured surroundings

ROOTS OF RECREATION CENTRAL PARK AS A CASE STUDY HELPS TO ILLUSTRATE TWO ASPECTS/DELIVERABLES OF PARKS AND PUBLIC SPACES: They are REGENERATIVE Would come to be more closely associated with active recreation They offer RESPITE Would come to be more closely associated with passive recreation

RE-CREATION Saying (or thinking about) RE-CREATION helps us to understand the real goals and values of recreation Parks and recreation facilities are many things, and they’re different things to different people IN THEIR ESSENCE, they are meant to provide for re-creation of self

RE-CREATION REVIVAL OLMSTED/formative era helped deliver and establish key concepts and places Revival, 1960s, 70s, 80s (academic and professional) as part of cultural and regulatory “awakening” Historic Preservation Act, Clean Water Act, NEPA, CEQA 1964 Wilderness Act Lots of new literature about impacts of parks on public health, role of community and neighborhood design in social outcomes, etc.

RE-CREATION REVIVAL 1979 US Forest Service “Recreation Opportunity Spectrum” Seeks to provide fullest range of opportunities in a given area Primitive (P) Semi-Primitive (SP) Roaded Natural (RN) Rural (R) Urban (U) * Panelists today  spectrum of different approaches to parks

THE PARKS PROFESSION TODAY WE KNOW MORE NOW THAN EVER… OR DO WE? WHICH IS THE HARDEST TO ACCOMPLISH? Getting agreement on park design. Getting through environmental and permitting. Getting the park (or other facility) built. Maintaining a successful facility over a long period of time.

SOME METRICS THAT MATTER ACTIVE LIVING RESEARCH (DR. JAMES SALLIS)

wilderness

Canyons, Plazas, and Parks: Meeting our Changing Needs for Public Spaces CITIZENS COORDINATE FOR CENTURY 3 LOOKS AT THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO PARKS MASTER PLAN