The How of Complete Parks

Great parks make cities and counties more desirable, and they’re often one of the reasons that people are drawn to an area and decide to stay there.

Parks are an important aspect of creating places that people are proud to call home. Improving parks is seen as a worthwhile endeavor with benefits for many sectors, including government departments and community-based groups. Creating a Complete Parks system is an investment in your city or county that promotes economic development, public health, and community engagement.  

ChangeLab Solutions developed these resources primarily for local government staff who wish to support cities, counties, and towns in planning a parks system that serves all of their communities. Complete Parks Indicators and Complete Parks Model Resolution can be used together or separately.

Assessing a parks system is one of the first steps in creating a Complete Parks system. A meaningful assessment relies on many government agencies and community-based groups working well together on many tasks, including selecting, collecting, sharing, and analyzing data. Complete Parks Indicators takes a systems approach to help identify priorities, inform a strategic planning process, and reveal patterns of inequities that should be addressed and remedied. This document presents indicators and sample metrics for each Complete Parks element and provides guidance for multidisciplinary groups on how to collect data.

A city or county that wants to create a Complete Parks system can use the sample language in Complete Parks Model Resolution to make that commitment and establish a formal process for developing a Complete Parks plan. The resolution includes recommendations for a multisector commission, as well as research on the many benefits of parks, from improved physical and mental health of park users to social, environmental, economic, and community advantages.