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The Benefits of Parks & Recreation
A strong park & recreation system is essential for a thriving community.
 | Four out of five North Americans use their local recreation and park system. |
| Seventy percent have a park or recreation facility within walking distance of their home. |
Our parks are such a stable influence on our lives that we tend not to give them much thought. Bur effective parks and recreation facilities do not just happen on their own. They require professional care and financial support to keep them clean, safe and suitable for the community they serve.
When citizens get involved with their park and recreation systems, their quality of life improves. Parks and recreation opportunities encourage citizens to be engaged in their communities -- as volunteers, stewards, advocates and students.
Our investment in parks and recreation facilities should reflect their importance to our communities. Local park and recreation systems have a $55 billion backlog in capital investment needs. Addressing the under-funded needs of state and local park and recreation systems should be a national priority.
Our health, our community, our economy and our environment all benefit from investments in parks and recreation opportunities.
Our Health. Access to parks and recreation facilities leads to healthy lifestyles for people of all ages. Activities in parks can build self-esteem, reduce stress and improve overall wellness.
Our Community. Parks give communities a vital identity. Well-maintained, accessible parks and recreation facilities are key elements of strong, safe, family-friendly communities.
Our Economy. Parks enhance property values, contribute to healthy and productive workforces and help attract and retain businesses.
Our Environment. Parks play a key role in preserving water and air quality, reducing congestion and protecting wildlife. People learn about the environment firsthand in parks and take those lessons home with them.
Below you can read about some of the many benefits of Parks & Recreation programs and services. Then we invite you to tell us how Parks & Recreation benefits your life. You can Email your comments to us Here.
The Benefits are Endless
Social Benefits
Personal Benefits
Economic Benefits
Environmental Benefits
NRPA Benefits Facts
Parks &
Recreation
BE HAPPIER
B
Build Family Unity B
Feel Great - TAKE
CARE OF LATCH KEY CHILDREN B reduce unemployment - INCREASE
COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS B Expand Knowledge - Lose weight
- diminish chance of disease B Build self-esteem - Reduce stress
-
promote sensitivity to cultural
diversity
- Provide safe places to play
B Generate
revenue B
lower healthcare costs - Meet friends
B
educate children and adults B
Relax - Keep businesses from leaving B Elevate Personal Growth - Strengthen Neighborhood Involvement
B conquer
boredom B provide childcare - Boost Economy B curb employee absenteeism B increase tourism - Build strong bodies B
increase property value B attract new businesses - Preserve plant and animal wildlife
B instill teamwork - Live longer B create
memories B protect the environment - Clean air and water B boost employee productivity B look better - Enhance relationship
skills
B decrease insurance premiums B control
weight -- Offer places for social
interaction
B diminish gang violence -- TEACH VITAL LIFE SKILLS B
provide space to enjoy nature – Quench Competitive Thirst
The
Benefits are Endless...
Top Can you add to this list? Please tell us the benefits you would add.
The effective delivery of parks and recreation services provides many benefits to the community including:
Social Benefits
| Leisure opportunities, facilities and the quality of the local environment are the foundations of community pride. |
| Recreating together builds strong families, the foundation for a stronger society. |
| Leisure provides opportunities of community involvement, shared management and ownership of resources. |
| Recreation promotes ethnic and cultural harmony. |
| Community recreation reduces alienation, loneliness, and anti-social behaviors. |
| Leisure provides leadership opportunities that build strong communities. |
| "You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation" -- Plato |
| Eighty-eight percent of parents believe that participating in outdoor activities strengthens family relationships according to an REI national survey of parents with children ages four to 14. Parents ranked camping as the number one "great outdoor family experience" (33%), followed by hiking (14.5%), bicycling (13.3%), and fishing (12.8%). Sports Edge Newswire, May 29, 2002. |
Personal Benefits
| Leisure opportunities for youth provide positive lifestyle choices and alternatives to self-destructive behavior. |
| Relaxation, rest and revitalization through leisure is essential to stress management in today's busy and demanding world. |
| Parks and open spaces bring beauty to an area while giving people satisfaction and improving their quality of life. |
| Meaningful leisure activity is an essential source of self-esteem and positive self-image. |
| Exercise can help prevent heart disease by improving insulin action. Insulin resistance syndrome, in which the body fails to use insulin properly, accounts for more than 60% of the cases of heart disease in women and up to 30% in American men. |
| A study published in the journal Health Affairs found that people who are obese have 30 to 50 percent more chronic medical problems than smokers or drinkers. Health complications linked to obesity such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, stroke and certain cancers raise an individual’s healthcare costs by 36 percent and medication costs by 77 percent. Less physical activity, more hours in front of the television, and a car-obsessed culture were all cited by the author as significant causes of America’s growing obesity problem. "Obesity Harder on Health than Smoking," Reuters, March 12, 2002. |
Economic Benefits
| Parks and recreation services motivate business relocation and expansion in the community. |
| Recreation and park services are often the catalyst for tourism, a growing sector of our economy. |
| Meaningful leisure services reduce the high cost of vandalism and criminal activity. |
| A Brown University study reported that the United States could save $20 billion per year in healthcare costs if every American walked for an hour a day. (As reported in "One Small Step for Mankind," in the Hartford Advocate, 10/12/95. p.23) |
| Americans spend approximately $634 million per year on golf balls. (USA Today, 12/8/95, p. B1). |
| The City of Reno, NV opened a $47.5 million National Bowling Stadium early in 1995 and in the first six months generated $238 million as a result of this facility. (USA Today, 12/8/95, p. 5D) |
| A study by the University of Illinois and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago found that visitors to the 1995 Monet exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago generated a $389 million economic benefit to the city with visitors spending $31 million on hotels; $31 million on shopping; $22 million in restaurants and $18 million for transportation. (Howlett, Debbie, "Money is Chicago's Stroke of Fortune," USA Today, 12/7/95 p. 3A) |
| Each additional mile walked or run by a sedentary person would save U.S. society an average of 34 cents in medical and other costs. (RAND Corporation, 1993) |
| The Phoenix Parks, Recreation and Library Department, when expanding its late night / weekend activities over the Summer months, found that such programs resulted in a 52% reduction in juvenile crime. Such programs were offered at a cost of 74 cents per person whereas the cost to incarcerate one teen for a year is $38,000. (Phoenix Parks, Recreation and Library Department, 1994) |
| For each dollar we spend on rehabilitation, we save $11 later. (The Phoenix Project, Section II, Page 18, 1995). |
| In Vail, CO, the assessed value of the property in this vacation resort is $6.5 billion, an amount equal to the gross national product of Bolivia and Nicaragua. (Flotsam and Jetsom, Pelican Press, September 1995) |
| In Lowell, MA, at the Lowell National Historic Site, for every public dollar invested in its economic renewal, an additional $7 of private investment was generated. (Phoenix Project Handbook, Section II, Page 28, 1995) |
| A study of tourism in Galveston, TX, in 1991, found that the 180,000 people visiting the Strand Historic District and the 100,000 attendees at the Dickens festival resulted in people spending $18 million in Galveston, creating $2.7 million in salaries. (Phoenix Project Handbook, Section II, page 28, 1995) |
| Sharp James, the former president of the National League of Cities, said, "We are going to recreate or we are going to incarcerate" and cited that in 1992, 21.8 million youth under the age 21 were arrested and the cost of incarcerating these youth was $2.3 billion annually. (Healing America's Cities, 1994) |
| According to a study done by the University of Michigan, one in 12 or seven million vehicle-owning U.S. households now owns an RV. Over the past four years, RV ownership has increased 7.8 percent. Recreation Vehicle Industry Association news release, January 18, 2002 |
| For the past two decades, tourism has been the fastest growing component of the Alaska economy. Wildlife viewing and "soft adventure" activities that combine comfort and outdoor recreation, such as fishing trips combined with nights at a comfortable lodge, are quickly becoming some of the most popular reasons to visit Alaska. "Pacific Northwest Research Station: 2001 Scientific Accomplishments," USDA Forest Service, April 2002. |
| The American Hotel & Lodging Association reported that Americans spent $150 billion on leisure related stays in 2000. That's 59% of the total American hotel/motel industry ($2.54 billion) for the year. |
Environmental Benefits
| Through the provision of parks, open spaces and protected natural environment, recreation can contribute to the environmental health of our communities. |
| Investing in the environment through parks and open spaces in residential area leads to an increase in neighborhood property values through accessibility to environmentally friendly green spaces and associated recreational opportunities. |
| The trend toward natural environment based leisure activities is insurance for a new and improved environmental future. |
| Over 350 river cleanups took place across the country this may in National River Cleanup 2002. Since its inception in 1992, 429,555 volunteers have participated in 4,738 cleanups covering 95,269 miles of waterways during National River Cleanup Week. |
| Sixty-four percent of Americans consider it very important to conserve and protect wetlands, and 46 percent say they believe there are too few wetlands in North America according to a study conducted by Responsive Management. However, 63 percent could not name a single non-governmental organization that helps conserve wildlife and natural resources, and 57 percent could not identify a non-governmental group that protects the environment. Responsive Management, Spring 2002. |
Some Documented Facts from the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA):
| Socially involved people are 2 to 5 times less likely to suffer heart disease. |
| It costs 100 times more to send a teen to jail than to provide preventative recreation programs. |
| A national softball tournament accounted for over $300,000 spent in the local community. |
| $59 billion is spent every year on wildlife tourism. |
| Girls who participate in sports help increase bone density to combat osteoporosis in later life. |
| Juvenile crime dropped 24% during the first 13 weeks of one city's late-night recreation program. |
| Investments in waterfronts and open spaces attract new businesses. |
| People rank clean air and water most important when rating the best places to live. |
| Every mile walked adds an average of 21 minutes to a person's life. |
| Families that recreate together report greater stability and satisfaction. |
| Visits to national, regional and local parks exceed 1 billion annually. |
| 145,000 kids surveyed felt wildlife preservation tops environmental concerns. |
| 66,000 deaths annually could be prevented through regular physical exercise. |
| For every child who participates in local dance programs, $500 is spent on supplies. |
| Americans spend over 500 million days per year fishing. |
| The fondest memories involve family outings and vacations involving local, county, state and national park and recreational areas. |