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0 COASTAL - ion INFORMAT110N CENM December 1968 0 2 1917 coastal 7one @njorma,flon RECREATION IN THE NATION"S CITIES center PROBLEMS AND APPROACHES @x V NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES Department of Urban Studies Ar --Nm- OR M GV 53 ne to a on Inj 0 .N26 1968 RECREATION IN THE NATION'S CITIES PROBLEMS AND APPROACHES NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES Department of Urban Studies prepared for DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Outdoor Recreation Property of CSC Library U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NOAA COASTAL SERVICES CENTER 2234 SOUTH HOBSON AVENUE December 1968 CHARLESTON, SC 29405-2413 GV53 .N26 1968 105319 DEC 16 1996 Property of CSC Library National League of Cities Department of Urban Studies 1612 K Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006 National League of Cities Department of Urban Studies 1612 K Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006 PREFACE This report deals with three aspects of municipal Basic information relative to city recreation recreation. First, it identifies municipal recrea- problems and activities - including statistical tion problems and needs and discusses the data relative to finances and staffing - was ob- reasons for increased recreation needs. Second, tained from appropriate recreation department it examines various solutions to the recreation personnel. Such basic data was supplemented by problems existing in cities, with particular em- information received from mayors and other phasis being given to intergovernmental ap- municipal and county administrators, including proaches, to full utilization of resources, and to planning, finance, and personnel officials. new and imaginative approaches. Third, the Finally, unstructured interviews were conducted report' outlines the various planning methods with community leaders, directors of civic as- used in city recreation departments. Particular sociations, and representatives of semi-public attention is given to the emerging role of citizens agencies providing, or having an interest in, rec- in the formation and review of park and recrea- reation. tion development plans. The study was jointly financed by the Bureau of The information on which this report is based Outdoor Recreation, Department of the In- was obtained from a study of 15 cities - New terior, and the National League of Cities. It was York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, carried out by the League's research staff under California; Baltimore, Maryland; St. Louis, guidelines developed cooperatively. The purpose Missouri; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; San Antonio, of the study was to point up the role of recrea- Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Minneapolis, Minne- tion in the total urban system, identify outdoor sota; Oakland, California; Tampa, Florida; Day- recreation needs. of the nation's cities, stimulate ton, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee; Peoria, Illinois; local officials and concerned citizens to expand and Portland, Maine. Selection of the cities was programs and seek new solutions to recreation made jointly by the National League of Cities needs, and provide data useful in statewide and and the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation on the nationwide outdoor recreation planning. basis of geographical location and population size, as well as on a preliminary examination of The National League of Cities is deeply apprecia- their recreation programs. It is believed that the tive of the support provided by the Bureau of information obtained from these 15 cities pre- Outdoor Recreation, Department of the In- sents an accurate picture of the various elements terior, and for the valuable assistance provided and factors to be considered in the formulation by those in the Bureau responsible for guiding of core city recreation programs. Further, it is this project. Our greatest debt is, of course, to believed that the common elements found in the the hundreds of local government officials and various cities, both with respect to problems and employees who generously contributed their solutions, will have general applicability to cities time to provide us the basic information without throughout the United States. which this study could not have been com- W - pleted. Preparation of this report was the re- A. Fischetti and Andrew B. Horgan, III, also of sponsibility of Peter D. Veillette, Lawrence A. the research staff. It is our hope that the data Williams, and Eddie M. Young of the Urban and viewpoints synthesized in this report will Studies staff. They were assisted in the ac- serve as a guide to local, state, and Federal offi- cumulation of data by Raymond L. Bancroft, cials and to private citizens as they attempt to Managing Editor of Nation's Cities, and Michael meet the recreation needs of the nation's cities. Patrick Healy Executive Director iv - TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Preface ....................................................................... iii Table of Contents ............... I.............................................. v Tables ...................................................................... vii Summary of Major Findings and Conclusions ........................................ I City Recreation Needs .......................................................... 3 Acreage Needs .......................................................... 3 Location .............................................................. 4 Factors Affecting Location ................................................ 5 Acquisition Methods ..................................................... 6 Facility Maintenance ..................................................... 8 Staff ................................................................. 8 Financing .............................................................. 8 Local Government Functional Priorities ...................................... 15 Recreation Priorities ..................................................... 15 Specialized Recreation Programs ............................................ 17 Communication and Coordination .......................................... 18 Factors Affecting Amount and Type of Recreation Provided ............................ 19 City Population Characteristics ............................................ 19 Geographical Location ........................................ I ........... 21 Changing Attitudes and Interests ............................................. 22 The Impact of Crime and Social Unrest ....................................... 22 Citizen Participation ..................................................... 23 Meeting Recreation Needs ....................................................... 25 Federal Assistance ...................... ; ................................ 25 State Assistance ......................................................... 29 City-School Cooperation .................................................. 29 Assistance From Other Local Government Agencies and Units ..................... 30 Recreation Programs of Semi-Public, Religious, and Private Organizations ............................................... 30 Unused, Underused, and Potential Recreation Resources ......................... 33 _v_ New and Imaginative Approaches to Recreation ...................................... 35 Land Use and Development ................................................ 35 Program Development .................................................... 39 Communications and Public Relations Programs ................................ 43 Recreation and Park Planning ........................... I .......................... 45 Reasons for Planning ..................................................... 45 Participation in Planning .................................................. 46 Capital Improvement Plans ................................................ 46 Operating Without a Master Plan ............................................ 47 Approach to Planning ................ * .................................... 47 Conclusion ................................................................... 50 Appendixes ................................. ................................. 51 vi - TABLES Page Table I - Comparison of 1968 Population, Area, and Park Acreage in 15 Selected Cities ....................................... 4 Table 2 - Park Acreage Per 1,000 Residents in 15 Selected Cities ........................ 5 Table 3 - Park Acreage by Major Classification in 15 Selected Cities ..................... 9 Table 4 - Number and Types of Major Public Recreation Facilities in 15 Selected*Cities ........................................... 10 Table 5 - Full-Time and Part-Time Parks and Recreation Personnel in 15 Selected Cities .......................................... I I Table 6 Comparison of 1963 City Operating and Park and Recreation Expenditures in 15 Selected Cities ............................... 12 Table 7 Comparison of 1967 City Operating and Park and Recreation Expenditures in 15 Selected Cities .............................. 13 Table 8 Per Capita Operating Expenditures for Parks and Recreation in 15 Selected Cities ......................................... 14 Table 9 Actual and Projected Population in 15 Selected Cities ........................ 20 Table 10 - Population of Preschool and School-Aged Residents in 15 Selected Cities for the Years 1950, 1960, 1965, 1970, and 1980 ....................................... 21 Table I I - Major Federal Aid Programs Utilized for Parks and Recreation Purposes in 15 Selected Cities .................................. 26 Table 12 - Funds Actually Received by 15 Selected Cities for Parks and Recreation Under Major Federal Aid Programs .............................. 28 Table 13 - Park and Recreation Planning in 15 Selected Cities ............................ 48 Appendix A - Actual 1950 Population of Preschool and School-Aged Residents in 15 Selected Cities ....................................... 52 Appendix B - Actual 1960 Population of Preschool and School-Aged Residents in 15 Selected Cities ....................................... 53 Appendix C - Estimated 1965 Population of Preschool and School-Aged Residents in 15 Selected Cities ....................................... 54 Appendix D - Projected 1970 Population of Preschool and School-Aged Residents in 15 Selected Cities ....................................... 55 Appendix E - Projected 1980 Population of Preschool and School-Aged Residents in 15 Selected Cities ....................................... 56 vii - SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS I Location of parks and recreation facilities is been negligible. Fortunately for cities, Fed- a primary factor affecting the success of rec- eral aid has been more abundant. Major reation programs. Consideration must be Federal programs from which city park and given to population density and the avail- recreation programs are benefiting include ability of public, transportation in the loca- Land and Water Conservation Fund, Neigh- tion of new facilities. The acquisition of borhood Facilities, Open-Space Land, Urban large tracts in outlying areas will not meet Beautification, and Community Action the recreation needs of the great majority of programs. city residents. Emphasis must be placed on neighborhood facilities. Rather than just 4. Optimum utilization of potential recreation providing acreage for football, baseball, and resources is not being achieved in most of basketball, and swings and slides, programs the nation's cities. The substantial acreage meeting cultural, artistic, and creative needs adjacent to, underneath, and above express- must be provided as must facilities for sports ways and highway interchanges has been that people can participate in all their lives. virtually undeveloped for recreation pur- poses. Publicly owned facilities with existing 2. City expenditures for park and recreation recreation capabilities are being underused. purposes have increased substantially in School facilities in particular, even in juris- recent years. Although recreation has tradi- dictions having city-school recreation agree- tionally been given a relatively low priority ments, are not being utilized effectively. To in relation to other city services, city of- meet the rising demand for recreation, in ficials and recreation leaders indicate that spite of the declining availability of open recreation is beginning to be recognized as space, cities must expand the multiple use of an essential local government function. How- facilities, establish park-school complexes, ever, in spite of a virtually unanimous and employ imaginative designs and new commitment to increase recreation programs construction techniques. and opportunities, cities do not have the financial capability to sustain expanded rec- 5. Lack of communication among city, county, reation programs indefinitely. and private agencies is a major problem pre- venting the optimum utilization of existing 3. Cities increasingly must look to state and recreational facilities and programs. As a Federal governments for the additional consequence, coordination is inadequate be- financial assistance necessary to sustain the tween city and county recreation depart- desired level of recreation programs. Gen- ments and between such departments and erally, state financial assistance to date has the various semi-public organizations carrying on recreation activities. In addition, 7. Residents of deprived urban neighborhoods communication between recreation depart- are almost entirely dependent upon public ments and the citizen is frequently inade- recreation facilities, whereas residents of quate. In the past, recreation officials have more affluent neighborhoods have a wide felt it sufficient merely to provide recreation range of recreational alternatives. Adequate opportunities. Today, citizens not only must recreation programs and facilities thus are be informed of the availability of the various considered a high priority item among the programs, but also convinced that participa- deprived. tion and utilization are worthwhile. How- ever, communication alone is not enough. 8. Residents of urban slum neighborhoods fre- Recreation officials and recreation leaders quently charge that too much effort is must have the ability to relate departmental directed toward park and recreation facilities activities and programs to the needs of the for the middle and upper income groups, community. and that recreation planning is being per- formed by persons having no real knowledge 6. Cities must take into consideration the rec- of the needs or desires of the deprived. To reation needs of special segments of the overcome this charge, planners should en- population - the aged, the young, the handi- courage the participation of a wide spectrum capped, the economically and socially of the community in the planning process. deprived - in developing priorities. In most. To be successful, recreation programs must cities surveyed, officials readily admitted be what the people want, not what the rec- that the needs of all population groups were reation department believes to be best for not being adequately met. Only in recent the people. Increased emphasis on citizen years have cities begun to recognize an obli- participation can be an essential component gatioIn to provide recreation for the handi- for the development of meaningful pro- capped and the deprived. grams. -2- CITY RECREATION NEEDS The recreation needs of the nation's cities are although accepting 10 acres of parks for each many and varied. Land, facilities, personnel, and 1,000 population for cities having less than financial resources are essential elements required 500,000 inhabitants, suggests 10 acres per 2,000 to provide recreation and diversion for Ameri- population for cities over 500,000, and 10 acres ca's urban population. The increase in impor- per 3,000 population for cities over 1,000,000. tance of city recreation has brought with it a host An alternative is to consider park acreage in rela- of organizational, administrative, and staffing tionship to the total area of the city. It has been problems. Striking a balance between citizens' suggested that 10 percent of the city area should demands on one hand, and the availability of be devoted to recreation and park purposes. The funds on the other, has become the lot of the difficulty with such standards is that they do recreation director. Still another type of prob- not take into account the recreational use to lem arises from an increased social awareness on which the acreage will be put. Because the area the part of recreation officials, an awareness that required for different forms of recreation varies, recreation, like other governmental services, type of activity is a major factor determining the must be made available to all groups, including amount of land that should be devoted to rec- the economically disadvantaged, the physically reational use. and mentally handicapped, and the aged. How- ever, of all city recreation problems, none is Park and recreation departments in practice have more basic, yet more difficult to determine, set out to establish realistic goals tailored to than the acreage needed for the construction of community needs rather than accept theoretical an adequate park and recreation system. Table 1, standards. Among the cities surveyed the ratio on the following page compares, for the 15 cities of park and recreation land to population ranged considered in this study, population, city area, from a high of 46 acres per 1,000 in Peoria to a population density, and park acreage. Examina- low of 2 acres per 1,000 in Chicago. Table 2 lists tion of Table I points up the wide variation that park acreage ratios for the 15 cities surveyed. can be found among cities of comparable popu- Although some of these figures appear low corn- lation and geographical size. pared to the standard of 10 acres per 1,000, other factors should be considered, including the existence of other publicly and privately oper- Acreage Needs ated facilities. For example, in Dayton, the Miami Valley Conservancy District has 885 acres Various efforts have been made for years to es- of land available to city residents for recrea- tablish acreage standards that would be appli-. tional purposes, and 10 privately owned facili- cable to all cities. The best known standard ties provide a total of 1,233 acres for park and provides that a city should have 10 acres of park recreation purposes. Multiple use of facilities and recreation land for each 1,000 inhabitants. may also permit a reduction in park acreage The American Society of Planning Officials, standards. The primary value of park and recrea- -3- tion standards lies in their use for long term mains that in all major cities large numbers of planning. Adherence to such standards will not inhabitants do not have access to public recrea- guarantee an adequate recreation program, nor tional facilities because the parks are not where will it assure full utilization of facilities, but the people are. Studies in several cities show the standards do provide a framework within which inequities in recreational opportunities. In San both private citizens and professional recreation Antonio, the Parks Master Plan, the City's parks personnel can plan for future development. and recreation plan adopted by the City Council in 1964, points out that two large areas of the City containing 62,000 inhabitants are not Location served by any parks. In Dayton, the Report on 1968 Summer Recreation, by the Health and Acreage alone is not enough. Equally important Welfare Council, concluded that many West is the location of parks and recreation centers. Dayton citizens were not being served because Despite extensive acreage, the simple fact re- of the lack of parks, playgrounds, and centers in TABLE 1 COMPARISON OF 1968 POPULATION, AREA, AND PARK ACREAGE IN 15 SELECTED CITIES' Area in Population Park acreage Estimated square density per Park as percent of City population miles square mile acreage totalarea New York 8,171,000 300 27,237 37,991 19.8 Chicago 3,587,000 222 16,158 6,888 4.8 Los Angeles 2,873,500 A63 6,206 11,900 4.0 Baltimore 923,900 75 12,319 6,097 12.8 San Antonio 722,400 61 11,843 2,932 7.5 St. Louis 684,800 182 3,763 2,728 2.3 Pittsburgh 564,000 55 10,255 2,374 6.7 Atlanta 516,600 136 3,791 2,318 2.7 Minneapolis 493,100 53 9,304 5,314 15.7 Nashville2 457,500 527 868 4,905 1.5 Oakland 391,300 52 7,525 2,000 6.0 Tampa 324,900 85 3,822 1,123 2.1 Dayton 281,000 37 7,324 3,149 13.2 Peoria 137,900 37 3,940 6,647 3 28.1 Portland 71,400 22 3,245 655 4.7 Park data obtained from city recreation officials; area data determined by adding annexations since 1960 to area reported by U.S. Census Bureau; population figures computed by straight line extrapolation of population data obtained from city officials. 2Data is for Nashville-Davidson County consolidated government. 3Includes acreage o@vned by the Park District beyond the district boundaries. -4- their immediate neighborhoods. A 1965 report - must be considered in the location of recrea- prepared for Baltimore, Parks and Recreation tion facilities. Although many cities have park Study, Objectives, Standards, Deficiencies, con- and recreation facilities reasonably well dis- cluded that the success of Baltimore's park and tributed geographically, existing population den- recreation program for the next 20 to 30 years sity and housing patterns vary. The Board of will be dependent upon the location of recrea- Education in Chicago reports that population tion centers in those neighborhoods now lacking density of elementary school children varies such facilities. Without the proper location, the from 1,900 to 17,000 students per square mile. best recreation programs will not succeed. Recreation facilities, therefore, should be located on the basis of population rather than geography. However, recreation facility needs al- Factors Affecting Location most always are in conflict with availability of land. The need for such facilities is almost Three major factors - population density, avail- always greatest in the densely populated areas ability of land, and availability of transportation where cost per acre is high. If such costs are TABLE 2 PARK ACREAGE PER 1,000 RESIDENTS IN IS SELECTED CITIES' Park acreage per 1,000 residents Estimated population Actual Estimated Estimated City 1968 1960 1968 1973 New York 8,171,000 4.5 4.6 4.9 Chicago 3,587,000 1.9 2.0 2.0 Los Angeles 2,873,500 4.8 4.5 4.2 Baltimore 923,900 6.0 6.2 6.3 San Antonio 722,400 5.0 5.8 6.0 St. Louis 684,800 3.6 4.2 4.5 Pittsburgh 564,000 3.6 4.1 NA2 Atlanta 516,600 NA 2 4.9 NA 2 Minneapolis 493,100 11.5 11.4 NA 2 Nashville 457,500 20.5 11.5 12.0 Oakland 391,300 5.7 6.2 6.3 Tampa 324,900 NA 2 3.7 NA 2 Dayton 281,000 9.5 10.5 12.7 Peoria 137,900 17.0 46.0 50.0 Portland 71,400 8.2 9.8 18.0 1 Park acreage data obtained from city recreation personnel. 2Not available. -5 - A tie P.W 7J go N _AOL RKE Intensive land usage, high population density, and a deficiency of open spaces persist in sections of every major American city. Here, a side street in New York's Harlem is closed to traffic and converted into a neighborhood play area. Photo: U.S. Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. prohibitive, availability of quick, economical the nation's cities. Except in outlying areas, transportation must be considered in the loca- vacant land is very scarce, and even in outlying tion of recreation facilities. In the absence of areas it is extremely valuable. Even when there is adequate neighborhood recreational facilities, land available, the need for new acreage far out- residents must use those areas that can be strips available funds. The City of Baltimore reached by public transportation. attributes most of its 6,000 acres of park land to a positive program of planned acquisition based upon recommendations made in various park Acquisition Methods surveys. The land acquisition program for Balti- more calls for the expenditure of over $7 mil- Cities have traditionally acquired park and recre- lion for land acquisition during the five-year ation facilities by purchase, by gift, and by period 1968 through 1973. Other cities report transfer. Land acquisition by purchase has that land acquisition has been slow and sporadic. become difficult, if not impossible, in most of In San Antonio, for example, acquisition of park -6- land averaged only six acres per year between 1945 and 196 1, although it was estimated in the Master Park Plan that 170 acres should be added each year to the park system if the needs of City residents were to be met. The acquisition of land for park and recreation usage through gifts has been an important factor in the development of municipal, park and rec- reation systems in American cities. Indeed, prior to 1930, cities reported that nearly one-third of their total acreage was acquired in this manner. For example, the land for the two largest parks in Pittsburgh, containing 955 acres, or 42 per- cent of the total park and recreation acreage, was donated to the City. Unfortunately, land acquired in this manner is seldom located in areas of greatest need. Acquisition of park and recreation land by trans- fer of title has taken on increased significance in recent years. Such transfers may occur between governmental jurisdictions, but more frequently between two city departments. An example of 00 this type of acquisition would be the transfer of a municipal reservoir, no longer in use, from the water department to the park department. The New York City Recreation Department reported it has constructed playgrounds on sites acquired from other city departments.,In many cases, this land was vacant and unsuitable for other uses. Other devices used to acquire land for parks and recreation include acquisition by tax liens; con- demnation; joint development of land with schools and with public and private housing Construction of neighborhood playgrounds is frequen rly agencies; development in connection with park- cited as the most pressing recreational need of cities. In ways, expressways, and civic centers; and by Portland, Maine, the inclusion of a wading pool adds reclamation of waterfront and other neglected greatly to the value of a recreation facility. Photo: U.S. or submarginal 'areas. It is estimated that New Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. York City has added approximately 1,500 acres of new park and recreation land through the san- itary landfill method alone. The Chicago Park District, under its lakefront development plan set forth in The Comprehensive Plan of Chicago, intends to add 1,200 acres of recreation land through the landfill method. Atlanta is con- sidering the use of land along the network of creeks, streams, and rivers, that form the City's flood plains. In spite of these efforts, most cities .7- surveyed indicated a continuing need for addi- spray pools, 22 multiple purpose basketball and tional acreage. Table 3 lists park acreage by volleyball courts, 4 fieldhouses, and a new run- major classification for the cities surveyed, and ning track. Also, tennis courts were built at 5 estimates of future acreage needs. parks and outdoor lighting installed at 17 loca- tions. Examination of Table 4 points up the existence of extensive recreation facilities among Facility Maintenance the 15 cities surveyed. However, in spite of existing facilities, and the new recreational facili- Use of park and recreation facilities is directly ties and park sites that are being developed at a related to the condition in which these facilities rapid pace, deficiencies will continue to exist for are maintained. Littered parks, poorly lit recrea- some time. If cities are to meet the backlog of tion centers, and broken park and recreation needs, it is obvious that they will have to draw equipment have a negative recreational value. upon resources not now available to them. Conditions such as these discourage use of parks and recreation centers, and contribute to further littering and vandalism. Over the years, routine Staff maintenance of recreation facilities has not kept pace with needs. Consequently, most cities sur- Recruitment of qualified professional recreation veyed indicate that approximately 20 to 50 per- personnel was frequently cited as a major prob- cent of their facilities will require extensive lem. Officials in Nashville, St. Louis, and repair within five years. It was generally agreed Pittsburgh attributed their inability to attract by both city officials and private citizens that qualified personnel to low salaries. In St. Louis sufficient funds are not being spent for the the starting salary for a recreation leader is proper maintenance and upkeep of park and rec- $4,582; in Pittsburgh it is $4,200. Such low sala- reation areas. To overcome this problem, the ries discourage the pursuit of recreation as a City of Los Angeles instituted in the 1966-67 career for they do not begin to. compete with fiscal year a program to refurbish all recreation the salaries offered by private industry or avail- facilities. Within three years it is hoped that all able to other professions in state and local gov- facilities will be rehabilitated; then these facili- ernment. Another factor contributing to inade- ties will be maintained on a two-year basis. A quate staffing is the relatively few schools with unique aspect of the maintenance of facilities in degree programs in recreation. This tends to New York is that the City manufactures much limit the development of professionalism and, in of the equipment used on its 861 playgrounds addition, makes it necessary for recreation and recreational sites. The City manufactures in departments to provide in-service training pro- its own shops about 5,000 pieces of equipment grams for their new employees. Existing staffing each year, including benches, slides, swings, and levels and projected needs, where the informa- picnic tables. tion is available, are presented in Table 5 for the 15 cities surveyed. On the basis of data reported, Construction of new facilities is one indicator of it would appear that most cities have given little the extent to which cities are attempting to thought to their future staffing needs and the meet the recreational needs of their citizens. On manner in which such needs will be met in the this basis it would appear that the nation's cities next five years. are making a determined effort. Baltimore of- ficials report that during 1967 the City opened five recreation centers and seven new play- Financing grounds, and that the budget for 1968 contains over $2 million for the construction of new rec- All successful recreation programs are dependent reation facilities. Similarly, in 1968, the Chicago upon the willingness and ability of elected offi- Park District constructed 32 swimming pools, 13 cials to provide adequate financing. In many -8- TABLE 3 PARK ACREAGE BY MAJOR CLASSIFICATION IN 15 SELECTED CITIES Estimated Population' additional City 1968 Neighborhood 2 Community2 City-Wide2 Other 2 Total2 needS2 New York 8,171,000 1,736 12,787 18,745 4,723 37,991 1,541 Chicago 3,587,000 -3 3 6,808 80 6,8818 NA 4 Los Angeles 2,873,500 1,432 1,088 9,380 -3 11,900 1,089 Baltimore 923,900 152 1,001 4,711 233 6,097 2,505 San Antonio 722,400 87 439 1,674 732 2,932 5,068 St. Louis 684,800 453 -3 1,736 539 2,728 4,000 Pittsburgh 564,000 350 -3 2,024 -3 2,374 NA 4 Atlanta 516,600 390 540 1,233 155 2,318 1,535 Minneapolis 493,100 604 -3 2,818 1,892 5,314 NA 4 Nashville 457,500 81 481 4,343 -3 4,905 3,170 Oakland 391,300 -3 500 1,500 -3 2,000 717 Tampa 324,900 212 -3 911 -3 1,123 NA 4 Dayton 281,000 290 -3 2,670 189 3,149 1,602 Peoria 137,900 347 584 5,716 -3 6,647 NA 4 Portland 71,400 415 -3 175 65 655 1,664 I The 1968 estimated population determined by straight line extrapolation of population data obtained from city officials. 2 Data obtained from city recreation personnel. 3 Not reported by this classification. 4 Not available. TABLE 4 NUMBER AND TYPES OF MAJOR PUBLIC RECREATION FACILITIES IN 15 SELECTED CITIES Swim- Recre- Population' Golf ming Mari- Tennis Picnic Muse- Amphi- ation City 1968 courses2 PoolS2 nas2 courtS2 areas2 ums 2 ZOOS2 theaterS2 centers2 New York 8,171,000 13 39 8 503 29 8 4 4 138 Chicago 3,587,000 4 63 7 630 NA 3 1 2 1 135 Los Angeles 2,873,000 13 49 0 232 NA 3 3 1 1 127 Baltimore 923,900 5 6 1 112 9 0 1 0 9 San Antonio 722,400 4 17 0 12 0 0 1 1 0 St. Louis 684,000 3 16 0 83 30 1 1 1 13 Pittsburgh 564,000 1 25 0 52 63 1 1 0 17 Atlanta 516,600 6 14 0 140 19 0 1 0 16 Minneapolis 493,100 6 1 0 200 12 0 0 0 46 Nashville 457,500 10 17 0 57 19 2 0 0 23 Oakland 391,300 5 4 0 46 NA 3 0 0 4 15 Tampa 324,900 1 7 14 56 NA 3 NA 3 0 0 19 Dayton 281,000 3 6 0 74 7 NA 3 0 0 11 Peoria 137,900 4 6 2 5 60 2 1 2 2 Portland 71,400 2 2 1 25 1 0 0 0 2 I The 196 8 estimated population determined by straight line extrapolation of population data obtained from city officials. 2Data obtained from city recreation personnel. 3Not available. TABLE 5 FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME PARKS AND RECREATION PERSONNEL IN 15 SELECTED CITIES Parks' Recreation' Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time City 1960 1968 1973 1960 1968 1973 T9_60 1968 -19-73 1960 1968 1973 New York 5,331 5,695 6,200 3,404 3,832 4,300 611 680 1,200 730 814 1,300 Chicago 4,000 4,400 NA 2 1,500 2,100 NA 2 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 Los Angeles 1,422 1,133 1,250 15 53 60 385 555 600 1,323 424 470 Baltimore 550 729 750 0 0 0 216 363 400 350 927 1,100 San Antonio 236 300 340 13 23 29 37 56 68 144 190 219 St. Louis 574 406 420 30 52 60 181 191 250 365 383 400 Pittsburgh 297 338 NA2 207 238 NA 2 91 93 NA 2 365 450 NA 2 Atlanta NA 2 500 NA 2 NA2 320 NA 2 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 Minneapolis 445 430 NA 2 75 75 NA 2 55 34 NA 2 750 665 NA2 Nashville 93 109 134 34 35 65 72 146 196 165 615 690 Oakland 177 185 200 9 21 20 113 145 160 800 850 900 Tampa NA2 174 NA 2 NA 2 1 NA' NA2 126 NA2 NA 2 175 NA 2 Dayton 127 161 NA 2 35- 100 NA 2 93 110 NA 2 57 215 NA 2 Peoria 80 125 150 325 400 425 NA 2 22 25 NA 2 378 400 Portland NA 2 65 NA 2 NA 2 25 NA 2 9 9 10 120 '158 180 I Employment. data obtained from city recreation personnel. 2Not available. 3Recreation employees included in park personnel statistics. instances shaving dollars from the recreation creative, aggressive recreation program was budget has proved an expedient way to reduce stated succinctly by one local citizen of Port- overall city expenditures. The consequences of land, Maine, who said, "Years of struggling with these reductions are not always immediately evi- small amounts of money diminishes the imagina- dent to the people, although the ultimate result tion." is invariably a reduced recreation program. The relationship between adequate funding and a There is no perfect method for comparing local TABLE 6 COMPARISON OF 1963 CITY OPERATING AND PARK AND RECREATION EXPENDITURES IN 15 SELECTED CITIES Park and recreation City operating Operating Capital Percent of city City expenditures' expenditures' expenditureS3 expenditures4 New York $2,343,883,000 $31,500,000 $37,100,000 1.3 Chicago' 308,195,000 32,049,093 2,600,000 9.4 Los Angeles 206,785,000 13,940,310 5,634,433 6.7 Baltimore 214,368,000 5,057,892 1,759,353 2.4 San Antonio 23,293,000 1,371,990 403,995 5.9 St. Louis 82,383,000 3,407,779 1,550,000 4.1 Pittsburgh 46,224,000 3,586,448 1,053,885 7.8 Atlanta 38,025,000 2,239,890 381,711 5.9 Minneapolis 41,569,000 3,732,000 1,501,000 9.0 Nashville 31,512,000 1,491,736 800,431 4.7 Oakland 31,139,000 3,605,993 697,656 11.6 Tampa 18,825,000 1,542,481 207,500 8.2 Dayton 19,295,000 1,614,390 954,705 8.4 Peoria6 5,399,000 1,156,437 162,944 17.6 Portland 11,623,000 564,482 51,300 4.9 Excludes Federal grant funds. 2Excludes Federal grant funds and expenditures for park and recreation purposes by other than park and recreation departments. 3Excludes Federal grant funds and capital outlay expenditures for heavy equipment and other items. 4Derived by dividing operating expenditures for parks and recreation by the City's total operating expenditures. Comparison of expenditures for parks and recreation with expenditures for other municipal services is of limited value because of the wide variation in services provided by the general purpose governments and the performance of services by special districts. In St. Louis, New York, Nashville, and Baltimore, for example, the city performs both city and county functions and, consequently, expenditures for parks and recreation constitute a smaller percentage of total municipal expenditures than in cities not providing such functions. 5 Park and recreation expenditure figures axe for the Chicago Park District which is a special district independent of the city government. 6 Park and recreation expenditure figures stated are for the Peoria Pleasure Driveway and Park District which is a special district independent of the city government. -12- commitment to recreation. Expenditures for forms both city and county functions. Because parks and recreation as a percent of city general of the inclusion of health and welfare expendi- purpose expenditures, as shown in Tables 6 and tures, recreation constitutes a smaller percentage 7, are not comparable because of the different of total municipal expenditures than in cities functions perfon-ned by the various city govern- not providing such functions. ments. In Baltimore, Nashville, New York, and St. Louis, for example, the city government per- Probably the best means of measuri fig the rela- TABLE 7 COMPARISON OF 1967 CITY OPERATING AND PARK AND RECREATION EXPENDITURES IN 15 SELECTED CITIES Park and recreation City operating Operating Capital Percent of city City expenditures' expenditures 2 expenditures 3 expenditures4 New York $3,741,580,000 $47,300,000 $42,700,000 1.3 Chicagos 382,932,000 36,586,748 2,775,898. 8.7 Los Angeles 254,427,000 15,022,505 4,189,052 5.9 Baltimore 299,899,000 9,174,036 2,787,696 3.1 San Antonio 28,607,000 1,836,775 492,545 6.4 St. Louis 100,349,000 3,558,294 1,405,000 3.5 Pittsburgh 59,144,000 4,740,357 1,800,000 8.0 Atlanta 51,770,000 3,744,000 530,000 7.2 Minneapolis 43,567,000 3,885,000 663,000 8.9 Nashville 92,415,000 2,084,087 1,635,476 2.3 Oakland 43,198,000 4,660,355 170,000 10.8 Tampa 24,669,000 2,219,854 Not Available 9.0 Dayton 24,233,000 2,297,152 661,662 9.5 Peoria 6 .7,375,000 1,607,287 522,869 17.9 Portland 14,234,000 572,540 70,636 4.0 I Excludes Federal grant funds. 2Excludes Federal grant funds and expenditures for park and recreation purposes by other than park and recreation departments. 3Excludes Federal grant funds and capital outlay expenditures for heavy equipment and other items. 4Derived by dividing operating expenditures for parks and recreation by the city's total operating expenditures. Comparison of expenditures for parks and recreation with expenditures for other municipal services is of limited value because of the wide variation in services provided by the general purpose governments and the performance of services by special districts. In St. Louis, New York, Nashville, and Baltimore, for example, the city performs both city and county functions and, consequently, expenditures for parks and recreation constitute a smaller percentage of total municipal expenditures than in cities not providing such functions. 5 Park and recreation expenditure figures stated are for the Chicago -Park District which is a special district independent of the city government. 6Park and recreation expenditure figures stated are for the Peoria Pleas ure Driveway and Park District which is a special district independent of the city government. -13- tive emphasis placed on recreation by various land projects a revenue-expenditure gap by 1972 cities is to compare expenditures on a per capita that will force the City to (1) alter the levels of basis. Table 8 illustrates the range of per capita municipal programs, (2) increase the property expenditures for recreation in the 15 cities sur- tax rate, or (3) adopt revenue sources not now veyed for the years 1960, 1965, and 1968. being utilized. Similar decisions will have to be Examination of that table points up the fact made by other cities, and none of these alterna- that in two-thirds of the cities surveyed there tives are viewed with enthusiasm by city offi- has been a steady, and in some cases dramatic cials. increase in per capita expenditures for parks and recreation, and in all but two cities - Los Ange- Cities increasingly must look to state and Fed- les and Nashville - appropriations for 1968 eral governments for the additional financing exceed 1960 expenditures. Estimated per capita necessary to sustain the desired level of recrea- expenditures for 1973, where available, continue tion programming. However, to date, state finan- to show the rising trend. However, in spite of cial assistance generally has been negligible. virtually a unanimous commitment to increase Fortunately for cities, Federal aid has been more recreation programs and opportunities, cities do abundant. All the cities surveyed have received not have the financial capability to sustain these some Federal funds and anticipate greater par- expanded programs indefinitely. For example, in ticipation by the Federal Government in future its Financial Capability Study, the City of Oak- years. Generally, city officials had much praise TABLE 8 PER CAPITA OPERATING EXPENDITURES FOR PARKS AND RECREATION IN 15 SELECTED CITIES' Expenditures Expenditures Budget Estimate City 1960 1965 1968 1973 New York $4.22 $6.48 $ 6.19 $10.81 Chicago 7.57 8.97 11.72 14.45 Los Angeles 4.78 5.67 4.77 NA 2 Baltimore 5.31 8.67 12.32 16.64 San Antonio 1.72 2.56 2.83 NA 2 St. Louis 4.82 5.57 5.85 6.90 Pittsburgh 5.71 7.73 9.13 NA2 Atlanta 3.67 4.76 9.11 NA 2 Minneapolis 7.14 6.17 9.09 NA 2 Nashville 5.09 4.50 4.52 7.81 Oakland 8.59 9.87 13.21 15.56 Tampa 2.30 5.82 7.33 NA2 Dayton 5.70 7.15 8.90 11.12 Peoria 8.63 10.63 14.69 NA Portland 4.44 9.12 8.76 9.21 1 Derived by dividing financial data obtained ftom recreation personnel by actual or estimated population figures. 2 Not available. -14- for these Federal programs. However, city needs though of as an amusing pastime type of activity for financial help in recreation are for programs or a welfare program for children unable to af- that provide a stable financial contribution ford other recreational facilities. To a certain rather than those based on individual projects at extent, this image exists today. But city officials the local level. who still tend to give recreation a relatively low priority may be mis-reading the citizens' desires City needs for capital expenditure funds are tre- for recreational facilities. In Atlanta, a survey of mendous. According to a report prepared by the six poverty areas revealed that the need for rec- National Recreation and Park Association in co- reation ranks second only to the need for job operation with the Bureau of Outdoor Recrea- opportunities. Similarly, a survey in Oakland tion, A Study of New York Outdoor Recreation ranked recreation third in priority following jobs Needs, the cost of providing a total recreation and housing. program for New York City, including the reno- vation of local and community facilities, would The high priority accorded recreation by the dis- be about $50 million each year for 20 years, or a advantaged is increasingly being recognized. City total of about $1 billion. This illustrates the officials in Tampa believe that residents of eco- extent of the need that cities have for capital nomically deprived areas rank recreation fourth funds. Traditionally, these funds have come in priority, with housing, jobs, and education from bond issues that are dependent upon voter being the first three local government services approval. Often such approval is difficult to that citizens want improved and augmented. achieve. The City of San Antonio, for instance, City officials in Baltimore placed recreation fifth was unable to obtain voter approval for any rec- on the priority list of the deprived, following reation bond issues prior to 1961. jobs, housing, education, and sanitation. Adoption of a capital improvement program promotes the systematic scheduling of land Recreation Priorities acquisition and facilities construction. However, capital improvement programs are of little bene- Assignment of priorities within the field of -rec- fit if adequate funds for implementation are not reation, with respect to both types and location appropriated. Failure to adhere to the capital of programs and facilities, also constitutes a ma- improvement program necessitates rescheduling jor problem. In Baltimore, for example, citizens of acquisitions and :construction to subsequent expressed the. opinion that too much effort was years. Obviously, adherence to a capital im- being given to the.'development of the stadium provement program facilitates development of and municipal golf courses, and not enough to an effective park and recreation system. overall recreational activities. A similar comment was forthcoming-in Chicago where criticism, of the priorities established by the Park Commis- Local Government Functional Priorities sioners centered on the proposed Lake-Fr6nt Development Plan. The proposed development Inadequate funding of parks and recreation pro- of Lake Michigan includes marinas and horse- grams is due in large part to the fact that city back riding facilities. Representatives of various officials have traditionally assigned low priority neighborhood associations pointed out that to these functions. Mayors and recreation offi- these activities are not those in which economi- cials in the 15 case study cities held widely dif- cally @deprived people, particularly the young, fering opinions when asked if recreation was are able to participate.-It is this type of recrea- receiving a fair portion of city funds. Neverthe- tion and park planning that brings forth com- less, they shared the opinion that. in recent years ments that recreation is being planned by per- recreation has received a higher priority than it sons having no real knowledge of the needs or had previously. Historically, recreation has been desires of the underprivileged. -15- Most cities surveyed have developed some sys- The Los Angeles Department of Parks and Rec- tem for assigning priorities for program and fa- reation has developed a formula for determining cility development. Questions invariably con- need in order to locate facilities in such a way. as sidered, although the ranking may vary, include to serve all city residents. The formula is based the following: on an index computed from four sociological and economic factors. These four factors are (1) I . Do proposed facilities provide for year- the density of population, (2) the number of round recreation activities? persons between the ages of 5 and 19, (3) the median family income, and (4) the juvenile de- 2. Are programs directed toward ghetto linquency rates. By assigning weights to these youths? four factors, it is possible to compare the needs of one area with another. The Park and Recrea- 3. Do proposed facilities meet neighbor- tion Department has applied this technique for hood recreation needs? determining needs to 65 previously defined sta- tistical areas within the City, and the results 4. Are a sufficient number of "active" rec- have become the basis for determining the prior- reation programs being provided? ity of future acquisitions and construction of recreational facilities. In Minneapolis, an agency 5. Do programs provide for meaningful called the Capital Long@Range Improvement social relationships between adults and Committee reviews the capital improvement pro- underprivileged children? grams of all City agencies and makes recom- mendations to the City Council regarding capital 6. Are facilities designed for multi-purpose improvement priorities and bond issues. In eval- use? uating departmental plans, the Committee uses a priority formula that gives numerical weights to 7. Has provision been made for citizen par- various aspects of need. After all program pro- ticipation in the determination of needs? posals have been evaluated, the Committee 7 L A, M@ _J Proper lo@ation of recreation facilities is vital to'a successful program. In this picture, a block park in Baltimore provides, recreational opportunity for the people and establishes a base for community activity. Photo: Baltimore Urban Renewal and Housing Agency. -16- 411 IAL R 77, T@_ @A, Day camping programs include many activities popular with children. Expansion of such programs, which was reported in most of the cities surveyed, can provide person-oriented recreation programs in which supervisors can work with small groups. Photo: Peoria Journal Star. makes up a master priority list that is submitted trained personnel required to meet the recrea- to the City Council. Since the Committee's crea- tion needs of the handicapped. tion in 1953, the City Council has accepted approximately 95 percent of its recom- Many city officials believe that the recreational mendations. needs of economically disadvantaged persons are essentially the same as the rest of the commu- nity. Nevertheless, the Report on 1968 Summer Specialized Recreation Programs Recreation by the Health and Welfare Council of Dayton documented the dependency of the Cities must take into consideration the special poor on public recreation facilities and con- needs of special segments of the population - cluded that the deprived require greater oppor- the, aged, the young, the handicapped, the eco- tunities for recreational and cultural experiences nomically disadvantaged - in developing recrea- than do the economically advantaged. The spe- tion priorities. In most of the cities surveyed, cial needs of the poor require more neighbor- officials readily admitted that the needs of all hood recreation facilities in inner-city areas and population groups were not being adequately more person-oriented recreation programs in met. Only in recent years have cities recognized which supervisors can work with small groups in an obligation to provide recreation for the meaningful interpersonal relationships. handicapped. Traditionally, this has been pro- vided by various semi-public agencies. Quite In addition to the problems of providing special- probably, cities will look increasingly to the ized recreational services, a number of city offi- state and Federal governments for assistance in cials stated flatly that existing recreational providing the specialized facilities and specially programs simply do not meet the needs of teen- -17- agers and young adults. In the past, recreation Inadequate communication not only exists officials frequently have failed to provide pro- among public and private agencies providing rec- grams of interest to young people, and the rea-tion, but also between such agencies and their programs that have been provided often have clients. Over the years, city and county recrea- been poorly scheduled. tion officials have felt it sufficient merely to provide recreation opportunities. Today, how- ever, citizens not only must be informed of the Communication and Coordination availability of the various programs, but also convinced that participation or utilization is Lack of communication and coordination are worthwhile. This communication problem is re- considered to be major factors inhibiting the ported to constitute a major impediment to the optimum utlization of existing recreational fac.il- fulloutilization of facilities and programs among ities and programs in most of the 15 cities the disadvantaged. However, communication visited. Many city officials acknowledge that co- alone is not enough. Recreation officials and rec- ordination is inadequate between the city and reation leaders must have the ability to relate county park 'and recreation departments and departmental activities and programs to the between such departments and the various semi- needs of the community. To be successful, recre- public oTganizations carrying on separate recrea- ation must be what the people want; not what tion programs. The duplication of effort, over- the recreation department believes to be best for lapping of programs, and the competition for the people. Increased emphasis on citizen partic- recreation consumers: often result in an unfortu- ipation can be an essential component for the nate waste of resources. development of meaningful programs. -18- FACTORS AFFECTING AMOUNT AND TYPE OF RECREATION PROVIDED Many factors affect the amount and type of rec- Table 9, which shows actual and projected popu- reation that cities must provide in today's fast- lations for the 15 surveyed cities, points up the moving society. Population growth, increased fact that only eight of the cities anticipate a leisure time, division of labor, and expanded significant increase in population, although all community participation in public affairs, each, anticipate a continuing expansion of their recre- in its own way, has created a greater demand for ation effort. Today, of even greater significance recreation or contributed to the lack of suffi- than the number of inhabitants are the eco- cient recreational facilities. Population growth nomic and sociological characteristics of central and the migration of people into urban areas city residents. have required both the high density and the in- tensive use of land characteristic of the city. At First, in spite of an increasing family income the same time, labor saving devices have created level, more city residents are economically de- more leisure time. Both in the factory and in the prived today than ever before as a consequence home, people can perform their necessary work of the in-migration of the rural poor and the in shorter time. Division of labor has further flight to the suburbs of many middle and upper increased the need for recreational activity. income families. Because an increasing number With increased specialization, many people are of city residents are economically unable to no longer able to find satisfaction or a sense of meet their recreation needs, cities are now called accomplishment in their work, and, thus, they upon to provide more recreation programs and must seek opportunities for-creativity outside of facilities than in the past. At the same time, be- their jobs. Finally, in recent years, residents of cause of the increased affluence of the majority deprived urban neighborhoods have discovered of urban residents, and because of reduced pro- that they are able to influence governmental ac- duction costs resulting from mass production tivities and levels of service through political techniques, larger numbers of people are able to activity. In many communities, citizen groups obtain recreational equipment previously avail- and neighborhood associations consider the ex- able to only a relative few. This is apparent in pansion of recreational opportunities a matter of the increased ownership of boats and camping highest priority. equipment and greater participation in such ac- tivities as skiing. Cities are thus faced with the problem of providing recreational programs and City Population -Characteristics facilities to meet the needs of various divergent groups. The number of inhabitants has traditionally been the primary factor affecting the need for Second, the percentage of young people 19 recreational programs and facilities. However, years of age and under is increasing more rapidly _19- than is the total population. Table 10 shows years. A comparison of the data presented in actual and projected preschool and school-age this Table and the data in Table 9 points up the residents in the 15 cities visited for selected fact that in both absolute and relative terms the TABLE 9 ACTUAL AND PROJECTED POPULATION IN 15 SELECTED CITIES City 1950' 1960' 1965 1970 1980 New York 2 7,891,957 7,781,984 8,100,000 8,242,000 8,547,000 Chicago' 3,620,962 3,550,404 3,575,000 3,600,000 3,774,000 Los Angeles4 1,970,358 2,479,015 .2,743,500 3,004,000 3,666,000 Baltimores 949,708 939,024 917,752 930,000 945,000 San Antonio 6 408,442 587,718 677,358 767,000 946,300 St. Louis7 856,796 750,026 702,000 667,500 663,100 Pittsburgh 8 676,806 604,332 571,060 557,100 558,100 Atlanta9 331,314 487,455 506,900 526,300 '565,200 Minneapolis" 521,718 482,872 478,468 507,800 510,000 Nashville" 174,307 170,874 448,000 467,000 518,000 Oakland 12 384,575 367,548 385,700 396,900 419,300 Tampa 13 124,681 274,970 302,000 347,800 439,000 Dayton 14 243,872 262,332 266,474 296,000 325,000 Peoria' ' 111,856 103,162 135,146 140,700 151,800 Portland 16 77,634 72,566 71,750 71,100 69,100 U. S. Bureau of the Census. U. S. Census of Population: 1960. Number of Inhabitants. Final Report PC (1), 196 1. 21965, 1970, and 1980 data supplied by Planning and Development Department, Port of New York Authority. 3 .1965, 1970, and 1980 data supplied by Population Research and Training Center, University of Chicago. 41965 data supplied by Population Research Unit, California Department of Finance; 1970 and 1980 data supplied by Research Section, Los Angeles Planning Department. 5 1965 and 1970 data supplied by Research and Planning Section, Baltimore Health Department; 1980 data derived by the Straight-Line Method of population projection. 61965, 1970, and 1080 data supplied by San Antonio Planning Department. 71965 and 1970 data supplied by St. Louis Plan Commission; 1980 data derived by the Straight-Line Method of population projection. 81965, 1970, and 1980 data supplied by Center for Regional Economic Studies, University of Pittsburgh. 91965, 1970, and 1980 data supplied by Physical Health Statistics Division, Georgia Department of Public Health. 101965 data supplied by Twin Cities Metropolitan Planning Commission; 1970 and 1980 data supplied by Minneapolis Planning Department. 111965, 1970, and 1980 data supplied by Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County Planning Commission. 12 1965 data supplied by Population Research Unit, California Department of Finance; 1970 and 1980 data derived by the Straight- Line Method of population projection. 13 1965, 1970, and 1980 data supplied by Tampa Planning Department. 14 1965, 1970, and 1980 data supplied by Development Department, Ohio Economic Research Division. is 1965, 1970, and 1980 data supplied by Peoria Planning Department. 16 1965, 1970, and 1980 data supplied by Portland Planning Board. -20- TABLE 10 0 POPULATION OF PRESCHOOL AND SCHOOL-AGED RESIDENTS IN 15 SELECTED CITIES FOR THE YEARS 1950, 1960, 1965, 1970, and 1980' City 1950 1960 1965 1970 1980 New York 2,111,592 2,344,736 2,891,700 2,991,900 2,929,100 Chicago 991,063 1,187,224 1,264,300 1,342,000 1,293,300 Los Angeles 504,325 810,950 1,071,100 1,142,700 1,256,400 Baltimore 284,854 339,431 357,000 359,400 323,900 San Antonio 151,658 255,152 293,800 332,800 324,300 St. Louis 232,676 250,483 241,000 248,500 227,200 Pittsburgh 198,159 200,783 192,100 189,900 191,400 Atlanta 99,780 176,844 183,900 191,000 193,600 Minneapolis 143,316 155,096 186,900 193,200 174,800 Nashville 51,915 61,420 175,000 177,700 177,500 Oakland 99,994 115,647 125,800 150,900 143,600 Tampa 35,314 97,461 118,000 132,300 150,400 Dayton 70,619 95,691 104,000 112,600 111,400 Peoria 32,479 36,359 52,800 53,500 52,000 Portland 23,385 25,201 12,200 12,000 23,600 Total 5,031,129 6,152,478 7,269,600 7,572,500 A breakdown by age groups is presented in appendixes A, B, C, D, and E. number of young people is increasing. As a con- tion was almost entirely a summer activity. sequence, cities must increasingly consider the needs and interests of this segment of the popu- lation when recreation programs and facilities Geographical Location are structured. Geographical location is obviously a major fac- Third, more people have leisure time than ever tor determining the types of recreation programs before. Not long ago only the affluent had any and facilities that a city can, or in some cases substantial amount of leisure time. Today, must, provide. In Minneapolis, for example, the shorter work weeks, lower retirement ages, and existence of 23 lakes within the city limits facili- longer life expectancies have made leisure time tates water-based recreation - swimming, boat- available to virtually all members of the work ing, fishing in the summer and ice skating in the force. In addition, because of these three fac- winter. The cold winters of Minneapolis, and the tors, leisure time for recreation is now available rolling terrain of parks and play areas, provide the year round, whereas a few years ago recrea- 66 natural sliding hills for skiing, sledding, and -21- tobogganing. The mild climates of San Antonio, Tampa, and Los Angeles, on the other hand, per- mit year-round use of athletic fields and pa- vilions for outdoor activities and thus there is less need for facilities for indoor recreation. Lo- cation adjacent to major bodies of water pro- vides excellent opportunities for water-based recreation to residents of Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. Even where virtually unusable for swimming purposes, as in Peoria and St. Louis, bodies of water can be used for boating and sailing. ds Changing Attitudes and Interests Public interest in sports and athletics is under- going a change. City residents are beginning to realize that there is more to recreation than just football, baseball, basketball, and swings and slides. Increased interest in water-based recrea- tion activities is only one example of this broad- ening of the recreational horizon. Demands for cultural, artistic, and creative forms of individual and group activities are increasing; emphasis is being given to recreational activities that teach skills as well as provide exercise; and there is an expanding interest in such sports as bowling, golf, and tennis that permit an individual to par- ticipate all of his life. The communication media, particularly tele- vision, have generated public interest in many sporting and recreational activities previously unknown. The sport of curling, for instance, is 4*@ growing so rapidly in Minneapolis that rinks can- not be provided fast enough to meet the de- mand. Similarly, the televising of champion Full utilization of natural resources is essential because European soccer matches has generated, at least of their unique recreational value. Minneapolis is for- temporarily, substantial interest in this sport. tunate in having 23 lakes within its boundaries. Photo: U.S. Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. The Impact of Crime and Social Unrest Crime and social unrest have had a two-fold impact on recreation since the end of World War 11. Increased criminal activity has made park and recreation areas, particularly such areas in the center city and in neighborhoods undergoing -22- racial transition, dangerous to use by day and totally unsafe at night. Vigorous efforts to "re- open" parks for use by holding special evening programs for young people have been tried suc- cessfully in New York City. In Minneapolis rec- reation leaders have been used to- escort children to and from parks in unsafe neighborhoods. While criminal activity has had a crippling effect, social unrest and the threat, of civil disturbance by Negroes seeking an end to years of discrimi- nation and inequities have forced recreation de- partments to provide "instant" recreational op- portunities for teen-age and young adults in slum neighborhoods. The installation of portable swimming pools, the attachment, of spray caps A4 to fire hydrants, the use of portable basketball courts, and the holding of block dances have IF; been tried the last few years in Baltimore, Chi- cago, and New York to "cool off" deprived ur- ban neighborhoods. Citizen Participation w Increased citizen demand for services and parti- cipation in planning has come about as a direct outgrowth of minority demands for social jus- tice. In most large cities, residents of slum neigh- borhoods have found that they have the power 7,,--X"": to demand and receive services from their local governments. The use of this power, and an in- creasing knowledge of the governmental process that is being acquired through participation in various new social programs, are being translated or into planning activities that recreation officials must consider in development of recreation pro- grams. Determining and satisfying the recrea- tional needs of city residents is essential if pro- grams are to succeed. In Baltimore and St. Louis 4 those programs and activities that have actively f6w, involved citizens at the planning and develop- a, ment stages are those that, for.the most part, have been found most successful. U1, -V@ j6l@ Geography and climate both play an important role in A A shaping a recreation program. While cities in southern states take advantage of their year-round temperate climate, Minneapolis capitalizes on its winter recreation opportunities. Photo: Minneapolis Star and Tribune Co. I. Ag@,t'- -23- iN ... . .. ......... "Before" and "after" scenes from a section of the San Antonio River Walk. Located in the center ?f the business district, the Walk offers a relaxing alternative to city traffic. Photo: San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. - --- ----- ---- -24- MEETING RECREATION NEEDS Public -tastes are constantly changing, and a vari- Neighborhood Facilities, Open-Space Land, Ur- ety of sociological, economic, and psychological ban Beautification, Model Neighborhoods in developments are creating new trends and needs 'Demonstration Cities, Community Action Pro- to which city recreation departments must re- grams, Federal Surplus Property, and Beach spond. In terms of money, total local govern- Erosion Control. A summary description of ment operating and capital expenditures for these programs and the administrating agencies recreation and parks have increased from $770 are presented in Table 11. A comprehensive million in 1960 to $1,104 million in 1965. For table of all such supportive programs is pre- cities, such increased costs have meant higher sented in Federal Outdoor Recreation Programs, taxes, more bonded debt, and, in some cases, published by the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, new local fees and service charges. During this Department of the Interior, and in Federal Aids same six-year period, local governments acquired to Local Governments, published by the Na- 335,376 acres for park and recreation purposes, tional League of Cities. bringing the total land available for such usage up to approximately one and one-half million acres. The widespread use of these programs is readily apparent in the 15 cities surveyed in this study. Today however, more than ever before, the na- All totalled, these cities have received approxi- tion's cities are faced with a myriad of problems, mately $70 million in Federal assistance for park each requiring immediate attention, each requir- and recreation purposes since 1963. Table 12 ing the allocation of a sizeable portion of cities', presents a city-by-city breakdown of receipts by limited resources. To adequately meet the recre- the major Federal programs. Examination of the ation needs of city residents, a coordinated ef- table points up the extent to which these pro- fort by Federal, state, and local governments is grams have been used. required. In addition, where the resources of the private sector can be brought to bear, the prob- Unquestionably Federal grant programs have lems of those responsible for overall recreation been of substantial benefit to the nation's cities. planning. can be immeasurably reduced. But such programs are not a panacea for either park and recreation problems or any other local government problems. Participation in categori- Federal Assistance cal aid programs invariably involves restrictions on use of funds and complicated reporting pro- The Federal Government now has over 50 grant cedures. Although designed to assure responsible programs that can be used by state and local and effective use of funds by local jurisdictions, governments for park and recreation purposes. compliance with such restrictions and proce- Major programs in which cities are participating dures frequently is overly burdensome and time include Land and Water Conservation Fund, consuming. -25- TABLE 11 MAJOR FEDERAL AID PROGRAMS UTILIZED FOR PARKS AND RECREATION PURPOSES IN 15 SELECTED CITIES Authorizing Administering Program title legislation agency Program description Land and Water Land and Water Bureau of Outdoor Grants are made to states, and through them to Conservation Conservation Recreation, Depart- local governments, for planning, acquisition, and Fund Fund Act of 1965 ment of the Interior development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities. Grants are made to finance 50 percent of allowable project costs. Neighborhood Housing and Office of Urban Grants are made to local governments to help Facilities Urban Develop- Neighborhood Serv- finance neighborhood or community centers pro- ment Act of 1965 ices, Department of viding a variety of social services. Grants may Housing and Urban cover up to two-thirds of project costs, or up to Development three-fourths in redevelopment areas. Community Economic Oppor- Office of Economic Through the Community Action Programs Action Programs tunity Act of 1964 Opportunity grants are made for public or private nonprofit antipoverty projects. Outdoor recreation proj- ects are included as eligible programs. Grants cover 50 percent of program costs. Model Demonstration Model Cities Grants are made to local governments to plan, Neighborhoods Cities and Metro- Administration, develop, and carry out comprehensive programs politan Development Department of for rebuilding or restoring slum and blighted Act of 1966 Housing and Urban areas through coordinated use of all available Development federal programs and private and local re- sources. Grants cover 80 percent of the cost of planning, developing, and administering pro- grams, and up to 80 percent of non-federal con- tributions required under federally assisted projects. TABLE I I (Continued) MAJOR FEDERAL AID PROGRAMS UTILIZED FOR PARKS AND RECREATION PURPOSES IN 15 SELECTED CITIES Authorizing Administering Program title legislation agency Program description Open-Space Land Housing Act of 1961 Office of Urban Neigh- Grants are made to state and local governments borhood Services, for the acquisition of land for permanent open- Department of Housing space use. Basic improvements on the land also and Urban Development qualify for grants. Matching funds are available for both acquisition and improvements. Urban Beautification Housing Act of 1961 Office of Urban Neigh- Grants up to 50 percent aremade to state and borhood Services, local governments to help beautify publicly Department of Housing owned land in accordance with an overall and Urban Development beautification -program. Federal Surplus Federal Property and Property Management Surplus land, buildings, and other real property Real Property Administrative and Disposal Service, no longer required for federal use may be trans- Services Act of 1949 General Services ferred to state or local governments for park and Administration recreation uses at 50 percent of the fair market value. The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation assists in determining if property is suitable and desir- able for public park or recreation area use. Beach Erosion River and Harbor U.S. Army Corps of The purpose of this program is to prevent dam- Control Actof1962 Engineers, Department age to beaches from wave and current action. of Defense Grants are avaflable to state and local govern- ments for up to 50 percent of the construction cost for protecting publicly owned or used beaches, and up to 70 percent for protecting publicly owned shore parks or conservation areas. TABLE 12 FUNDS ACTUALLY RECEIVED BY 15 SELECTED CITIES FOR PARKS AND RECREATION UNDER MAJOR.FEDERAL AID PROGRAMS Department of Department of Department of Bureau of Outdoor Office of Economic Housing and Housing and Housing and Recreation Land Opportunity Com- Urban Develop- Urban Develop- Urban Develop- and Water Con- munity Action ment Open- ment Beautifi- ment Neighbor- servation' Program 2 Space Program 3 cation Program4 hood Facilitiess Atlanta 49,909 1,500,834 1,634,721 167,183 1,300,000 Baltimore 433,366 1,004,581 336,044 188,825 298,133 Chicago 403,488 4,449,946 1,028,768 631,843 3,111,393 Dayton - 479,448 930,767 - 390,859 Los Angeles 266,667 2,094,393 1,504,329 - 180,000 Minneapolis - 179,982 842,502 548,591 1,043,372 00 Nashville - 861,088 866,144 - - New York 2,095,213 21,170,827 6,621,628 1,452,375 481,462 Oakland - 408,000 304,687 134,330 1,074,030 Peoria 24,850 43,060 1,022,404 - - Pittsburgh - 529,884 315,548 454,680 1,106,125 Portland 56,375 - 14,188 - - St. Louis 139,263 1,654,828 50,449 390,641 1,300,000 San Antonio - 669,668 699,586 69,709 - Tampa 234,998 - 468,552 1 Funds received by cities and park districts from 1966, when program began, to November 15, 1968. 2Includes only funds for recreation purposes received by agencies within the cities from the inception of the program in 1965 to July 19, 1968. 3Includes funds received by cities and park districts from July 1, 1963, to November IS, 1968. 4Includes funds received by cities and park districts between July 1, 1965, and November 15, 1968. 5 Grants under this program are for multi-purpose facilities and are not exclusively for recreational purposes. Includes funds received by cities and park districts from July 1966 to November 1968. State Assistance The use of these agreements provides a partial solution to several school recreation problems Most states provide advice and technical assist- and needs. Joint park-school programs permit ance to cities on recreation matters through de- the full-time use of both school and recreation partments of conservation or recreation, but sites, thus eliminating needless expenditures for generally little direct financial assistance is avail- construction of separate facilities. In addition, able to cities for park and recreation purposes. such coordinated recreational effort allows for However, notable exceptions do exist. New the most efficient utilization of the limited num- York City received $17 million of a $100 mil- ber of trained recreation professionals available. lion state bond issue passed in 1966 for the acquisition of land for outdoor recreation. In Formal city-school agreements were found to 1967, a statewide referendum was approved exist in 12 of the 15 cities surveyed. In the re- authorizing a $200 million bond issue for the maining three cities the school district and the purpose of financing the acquisition and devel- recreation department had established informal opment of outdoor recreation facilities such as working arrangements. The agreement signed by parks, marine, facilities, and historic sites. The the Board of Education and the New York De- extent. to which New York City will participate partment of Parks in 1941 is a good example. in this bond issue has not as yet been deter- Under this arrangement, the City agreed to mined. acquire sites large enough to provide space for school construction with an additional area to The State of California has a number of pro- be under the management of the Department of grams available to support local park and recrea- Parks after school hours. As of 1966, there were tion programs. Los Angeles has received 233 jointly operated park-school areas in the $486,666 from the 1964 State Bond Fund for City. The Parks Department is responsible for purchase of land and ground development, recreation programs after 3:00 p.m. on week- $300,000 from the California State Wildlife days and on weekends; however, indoor facili- Conservation Bond Fund for the construction of ties of New York schools are not open on week- a fishing pier, and $38,503 for the construction ends and this has considerably weakened the ef- of a senior citizens center. Oakland, on the other fectiveness of the cooperative program. In Pitts- hand, has received only $12,600 from the Cali- burgh, school yards, athletic fields, swimming fornia Youth Authority for a community recrea- pools, and gymnasiums have been made available tion program for young people. to the City for recreation purposes after school, during the evenings, on weekends, and during The Peoria Pleasure Driveway and Park District vacation periods. As of April 1968, the Bureau has received $116,373 from the State Boat Li- of Recreation was operating basketball, arts and cense Fund for the construction of a marina on crafts, and swimming programs after school at the Illinois River. Chicago, however, reports that 26 high schools. The formal agreement between no State funds have been received for recreation the Pittsburgh School District and the City pro- purposes. vides that the City Bureau of Recreation will provide adequate supervisory personnel to carry out the indoor and outdoor programs that util- City-School Cooperation ize school property, and provide the supplies re- quired to carry out these activities. Agreements for recreation purposes between city .. governments. and @ school districts exist Similarly, the City of St. Louis and the Board of formally or informally in almost every large city Education have had an agreement to cooperate in the United States. These agreements usually with and assist each other in operating recrea- provide for mutual use of facilities and often for tion programs since 1961. Cooperative activities the joint development of park-school complexes. include summer playground programs, school -29- year swimming lessons, after school activities, lished to conserve and develop the water and soil and evening school programs. The agreement resources of the region, has developed two parks also provides for the sharing of facilities, pro- within the City of San Antonio. These parks em- grams, and personnel. Two somewhat unusual phasize boating, fishing, and picnicking activi- features of the St. Louis agreement are: (1) the ties. City has complete charge of all school facilities during the summer, and (2) the City provides, in Recreation Programs of Semi-Public, City pools, free swimming instruction for chil- Religious, and Private Organizations dren in the St. Louis elementary schools as part of the Board of Education's physical education Semi-public, religious, and private organizations program. Similar agreements for the juxtaposi- make a substantial contribution to recreation in tion of school and recreation facilities and for most cities. Some such organizations provide ac- joint recreation programs exist in Chicago, Los tivities that supplement city recreation pro- Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, Oakland, and grams, while others provide financial assistance, Peoria. coordination, and support. Perhaps their greatest contribution has been made through supple- Assistance From Other Local Government menting city summer recreation programs. Such Agencies and Units organizations as neighborhood and settlement houses, Boy's Clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, In addition to the facilities and programs offered Salvation Army, Young Men's Christian Associa- by municipal park and recreation departments, tion, and Young Women's Christian Association other units of local and regional government as- are active in most cities. sist cities, either directly or indirectly, meet their recreation needs. Such assistance may be In 1964, with a grant from the Astor Founda- provided by a housing authority that provides tion, the Greater New York Council of the Boy land and/or funds for the development of recrea- Scouts of America prepared a plan to promote tion facilities within the housing area, or by the the Boy Scout program in ghetto areas of the development by a regional agency of an exten- City. The aim of this program was to reach and sive park system, thus reducing the pressure on influence a large number of boys in areas in the city. In New York City, for instance, the which the Scouting movement had not pene- Housing Authority develops children's play- trated. The YMCA has also located facilities in grounds and passive recreation areas for adults. ghetto areas and is providing recreational, educa- In 1966, the Housing Authority operated 171 tional, and other services in deprived neighbor- playgrounds and provided space for community hoods. Such programs as these tend to counter center programs in 109 housing developments. the oft heard complaint of ghetto residents that The housing and redevelopment agencies in Min- these semi-public and religious organizations are neapolis, Nashville, and Peoria have established middle-class oriented, and not mindful of the similar recreation facilities. The Chicago Park needs of the poor. District has leased land from the Chicago Hous- ing Authority for the installation of swimming The Protestant Council of the City of New York pools at 30 locations within the City. sponsors a youth services program through which church facilities are used for recreation, The East Bay Regional Park District in the Oak- education, and job placement programs. land area has approximately 18,000 acres of land. Some of the largest parks operated by the The Arts and Education Council of Greater St. District are located adjacent to Oakland and, Louis attempts to stimulate the widest possible thus, pressures on the City for the expansion of community interest and participation in cul- park and recreation programs are reduced. Simi- tural, recreational, and educational activities and larly, the San Antonio River Authority, estab- to assist its 90 member organizations provide -30- ----------------------- - -------------------- F ------------- - ---------- /7@ ------------------- ---------------- I-------------- ------------I ------------------------------------------ . - --------------- ----------------------- P L A Y Q R 0 U N D A L L A R E A I A I I 3 1 R I A C E 0 C 1@1 P I Mn- 7n- L T D I A 0 0 ------ - ------------ 7 /o P E Y F I E L D Z M P L,@ --------- --------- A L L ------------------ . I @ @_,.I-A . E L D ------------------ 0 0 40 _3101 I A A 9 1 N 0 FV - - ----- - ------- 0 0 A I P A 8 K 3 C 0 a 0 L I I 111TIVII log fill IIITIIST __J A recreation-school complex now being developedby the Peoria Pleasure Driveway and Park District. In all cities visited, school and recreation personnel endorsed such joint development. To permit the construction of this facility, which serves both public and parochial schools, the City ofPeoria vacated sections of two streets bisecting the area. programs and services. The Council runs a Com- substantially to summer recreation programs in munity Music School that provides low cost pro- cities as previously indicated. An extremely ef- fessional musical training to talented children in fective program is Operation Champ conducted financial need, and it is presently funding a pro- by the Baltimore community action agency. The gram of art instructors-in-residence at commu- Champ recreation program is geared specifically nity centers in poverty neighborhoods. Project to the needs of inner-city youths. The program Street Corners in Peoria is sponsored by 12 gov- provides organized physical fitness and recrea- ernmental and non-governmental agencies in- tional activities that help young adults and teen- cluding the Park District, YMCA, Boy's Club, agers acquire the physical and social skills thaf Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Council of will aid them in overcoming the handicap of Churches. The purpose of the Project is to con- poverty. In addition, it also provides employ- tact hard-to-reach teen-age youths, gain their ment opportunities for those young people in confidence, and encourage them to go back to poverty areas serving as junior counselors and school, or to get vocational training or jobs. The assistant program supervisors in the administra- Project sponsors basketball, volleyball, softball, tion of the program. and baseball teams, but recreation is used as a tool to reach those young people who have Industrial concerns throughout the country "dropped out" rather than as an end in itself. In sponsor recreation programs for their employ- each of its two years of operation, over 700 ees. However, in the 15 cities surveyed, local boys and girls have been enrolled in Project business concerns were seldom involved in sup- sponsored teams and programs. porting public recreation. Notable exceptions were found in New York, Chicago, and Peoria. A Community action agencies funded by the Of- Citizens Summer Committee in New York, com- fice of Economic Opportunity have contributed posed of private citizens and corporation offi- 4V*1 .4 -A el *AL Semi-public agencies make significant contributions to overall city recreation programs. Pictured is the staff of the Peoria Project Street Corners jointly sponsored by 12 governmental and non-governmental agencies. Photo: Peoria Journal Star. -32- cials, has been established to promote and co- underused because they are not available in the ordinate private contributions to the summer evening or on the weekend. This is particularly recreation effort. Private businesses and corpora- the case with public schools, even in those com- tions in the city contributed more than half a munities in which the city and the school dis- million dollars to the Committee for summer trict have formal agreements for joint recreation recreation programs. programs. For example, in Peoria, elementary school gymnasiums are available for Park Dis- In Chicago, Sears Roebuck and Co. has sup- trict recreation programs, but high school ported s ix community center playlots for the gymnasiums are not available for public use in last four summers. Games and activities available order to preserve the wooden basketball floors. include dancing, basketball, volleyball, skating, In Baltimore, only a quarter of the schools are and arts and crafts. On special activity days, out- open after school hours during the school year door movies are shown. In addition, Sears pro- for recreation purposes, and none of the schools vides equipment and uniforms for summer recre- are open during the summertime. ation programs conducted at 26 public playground and school sites. In 1968, over 6,000 Expressways and highway interchanges are ab- boys and girls participated in baseball, softball, sorbing substantial areas of land within the na- basketball, and volleyball leagues in this pro- tion's cities. To date, among the 15 cities gram. Supervision for this program is provided studied, only Oakland indicated any real effort by Youth Action, a cooperative agency created to utilize this land. The City now operates a and supported by such organizations as the Chi- totlot under an existing freeway and is exploring cago Boys Club, Hull House, YMCA of Metro- possible uses for two acres within a cloverleaf. politan Chicago, and Youth Centers, as well as However, even more unfortunate is the under- private business. utilization of existing parks and recreation facili- ties. This often occurs because such facilities are in Peoria, a baseball diamond, basketball courts, unsafe or because disadvantaged citizens, par- and horseshoe pits were constructed on land ticularly the slum children, do not have a means leased to the Park District by the Pabst Brewing of transportation to such facilities. Company. These facilities, adjacent to a public housing project, are jointly maintained and oper- The Open Lands Project in Chicago - an organi- ated. An eleemosynary foundation in Peoria has zation supported by the Community Trust, the shifted its area of interest in order to include Field Foundation of Illinois, and the Woods outdoor recreation. The foundation has been Charitable Fund, Inc. - has as its objectives the instrumental in assisting the rapid growth of the acquisition, preservation, and conservation of park system by the outright donation of land, open land in the metropolitan area. The director by leasing acreage to the District at no cost, by of the organization has outlined several potential providing the local 'Matching share required un- recreation ideas and resources, as follows: der the Federal Open-Space Land program, and by holding options on land until the Park Dis- 1. Adventure playgrounds that minimize trict accumulated the necessary funds to pur- the use of fixed equipment in favor of chase desired parcels. children building their own equipment from tools and materials available. Unused, Underused, and Potential 2. Park District and school system coopera- Recreation Resources tion for the development of a nature education program. Optimum utilization of potential recreation re- sources is not being achieved in most cities in 3. Development of recreation malls and the the nation. Many publicly owned facilities are utilization of streets for recreation space. -33- 4. New types of recreation buildings includ- projects where land is awaiting develop- ing an experimental high rise structure. ment. 5. Multiple use of air rights for new recrea- 7. Closer realization of the relationship be- tion facilities. tween recreation and housing. 6. Temporary use of land for recreation 8. Utilization of the Chicago riverfront for purposes, especially in urban renewal sitting space." -34- NEW AND IMAGINATIVE APPROACHES TO RECREA TION Two significant.. attitudi fial changes have oc- of optimizing the use of limited space. New curred with respect to recreation in response to York City recreation officials recognize that the social and economic forces at work in good design is the basic tool for achieving qual- America's cities. First, and perhaps most impor- ity and effective utilization of space. A plane- tant, it is now generally accepted, both within tarium, located in a small vest-pocket park, has and without local government, that providing been constructed below grade, and the dome of recreation for the nation's urban inhabitants is the planetarium has been built in the shape of a basically a local responsibility, and must be con- pyramid for climbing so that no play area is sidered an essential municipal service as are fire sacrificed. and police protection and sanitation. The old concepts that recreation is a quasi-welfare activ- Revolutionary planning concepts in the design ity and that parks are window dressing for the of new parks and playgrounds have resulted in a city are gone. Without this change and the ac- new look. Swings, seesaws, and slides are out of companying acceptance of responsibility by vogue; tunnels, earth mounds, and concrete local governments, all efforts to achieve viable forms are "in." The use of parks and play- and responsive recreation programs would be grounds is also "in" because more and more chil- futile. The second change Js one of emphasis. dren are beginning to use the playgrounds to Cities have found that just providing facilities is take advantage of the new designs and facilities. not enough. Activities must be organized and In place of blacktopped areas, many parks and promoted and supervision and leadership pro- playgrounds in New York are covered with sand. vided. Programs dominated by swings, slides, Slides are placed on earth mounds and children sports, and athletics are not enough. Recreation slide into the sand. They crawl in tree houses officials must provide something for everyone - and through concrete forms. In one new play- programs responsive to neighborhood needs. ground, water runs down a hill in an open con- crete channel and children float boats in it. Demands for expanded recreation programs and additional. facilities increase without regard to Similarly, play equipment takes the form of the availability of resources to provide them. City rigid steel frames for climb 'ing, open cubes, recreation officials, therefore, must devise new, wooden logs bolted together to make climbing imaginative, and creative approaches to recrea- pyramids, and concrete U- and V-shaped mod- tion that will facilitate the utilization of existing ules. With the help of private sponsors, five "ad- resources to the fullest extent, possible. venture playgrounds" are being constructed at several sites in the City. These playgrounds util- ize a variety of mounds and pyramids for climb- Land Use and Development ing and sliding; tunnels, concrete volcanos, tree houses, and a wooden stockade permit a wide Multiple use of facilities is an effective method range of interpretation by children. At another -35- 714 A ma.__k Ail ---pow% IF V V Y, n@ 42 K VL RIVV Creative play experiences are encouraged by use of equipment designed to permit interpretation by children. New York City has retained a landscape architect to obtain the maximum advantage that can be achieved through proper design techniques. Photo: New York City Administration of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. site, a recreation center for teen-agers is being frames for shade were specially designed. turned into a "fun palace.." This center will fea- ture activities that young people want but do Another example of multiple use of facilities is a not find in the usual municipal recreation cen- swimming pool-recreation complex in Bedford- ter. There will be a dance floor with a juke box Stuyvesant that was constructed half a level overlooking a swimming pool, club rooms, game below grade to permit use of its roof for a chil- rooms, and sport courts. Another park features a dren's playground. Exhaust fan housings were central pool and fountain that are used for designed as pyramid slides and vent stacks were wading by day and can be drained for plays and designed as climbing poles. Under a grant from dancing in the evening. At another site, a combi- the Department of Housing and Urban Develop- nation parking garage-playground has been cre- ment, a local landscape architect has designed a ated. The garage roof is a sports playfield; a deck variety of kinds of play equipment that can be over an adjacent ravine and railroad tracks is a placed on city-owned vacant lots and easily children's playground. To encourage' creative demounted and moved elsewhere when neces- play experiences, standard equipment in un- sary. standard uses such as slides pressed into moun- tains, sculptured stepping stones with spray- The Department of Parks plans to transform the, heads for hot weather, and playful structural Corona-Flushing Meadows Park, @site of the 1964 -36- World's Fair, into a truly urban park featuring Housing Agency. When completed, these play an endless variety of active and passive forms of lots are operated and maintained by the Depart- recreation. There will be outdoor playing fields ment of Recreation and Parks. Baltimore has of all kinds; indoor courts, tracks, ski and tobog- also employed a professional architect to design gan runs; and ingenious devices for improving the new playground facilities. Resulting facilities one's baseball or golf game. Swimmers will enjoy are more attractive and therefore of greater rec- a romantic spa-like environment featuri 'ng statu- reational value to the City. ary, plants, and live music from platforms sus- pended over the pools. It is estimated that the The City of Oakland is experimenting with park willaccommodate some 100,000 persons at multi-purpose use of land. It has developed a a time - 38,000 in specific activities, the others totlot under an existing freeway and considera- walking, sitting, or picnicking on the park's tion is now being given to the development of 1',257 acres. land encompassed by cloverleafs at freeway in- terchanges for recreation purposes. The recrea- A new approach to providing recreation in the tion department has also developed an 18-hole City of Baltimore has been the construction of golf course under the flight pattern at the local play lots in new housing projects undertaken airport. The use of parks by younger, children in through the Baltimore Urban Renewal and Oakland has been promoted through the devel- Standard playground equipme nt in unusual settings creates enthusiasm among children. This "adventure playground" in New York's Central Park illustrates the point. Photo: U.S. Bureau of Outdoor Recreation. -37- @A R. S Theme parks developed by the Oakland Recreation Department offer opportunities for imaginative play experiences. Portable units, such as this one, are periodically moved to other locations throughout the City. Photo: City of Oakland Recreation Department. opment of "theme" parks. Four such parks have are encouraged to plant flowers and maintain been developed, one as an Old West city, one gardens there. This provides a great deal of use- developed with a Japanese theme, one with a ful recreation, eases municipal property mainte- Swiss theme, and one with a Mother Goose nance problems, and helps beautify the City. theme. Atlanta has persuaded owners of previously un- Park facilities in most cities are painted a drab developed land in slum neighborhoods to lease color such as "army green." The Superintendent their property for recreation purposes. A survey of Parks in Minneapolis is having all park fa- was made of land availability in the six slum cilities painted bright colors so that they will areas of the City. The Department of Parks and look more cheerful. A lakeside beach house, Recreation located the owners of some 48 va- previously utilized only during the summer, has cant lots, junk heaps, and other littered areas been winterized so that it can be used by skaters and contracted with them to lease the land for during the winter. The Park Board has built recreation purposes for a token sum. The City "trike tracks" on several City playgrounds. Chil- formally agreed to absolve the owners from any dren can ride their tricycles on these hard sur- liability resulting from accidents or other mis- face "roads," that feature lane markings and haps occurring on the property and also agreed miniature signs. These have proved quite popular to absorb the cost of cleaning up the areas, clear- with young children. With the recent popularity ing them, and installing surfacing and necessary of jogging, Minneapolis has developed jogging play equipment. This program served to beautify trails at eight lake sites, and opens a local stadi- run-down areas as well as providing neighbor- um daily from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. to permit hood recreational facilities. use of the quarter-mile track. There are many triangles and bits of land throughout Minnoapo- In Chicago, the "alley-oop" project, sponsored lis that are too costly to maintain properly. by the Chicago Committee on Urban Opportu- Senior citizens who live near these pieces of land nity, encourages closing off alleys and adjacent -38- 0 land. These alleys, which have already been initiated to fill the City's parks at night through lighted, are made into recreation areas and a series of events and "happenings" designed to painted with hopscotch courts on the pavement draw the people back into the parks they had and games on the walls. Twenty-five of these been afraid to use. This program has been suc- facilities were created during the summer of cessful; people are coming back into the parks 1968. and their presence and continuing use have made the parks both safe and pleasant. The Nashville Department of Parks and Recrea- tion has reclaimed an eight-acre abandoned A new program, called "Broadway in the quarry located in the heart of a slum section of Streets," was started in the spring of 1968 to the City. A baseball diamond and park are now bring Broadway productions to slum neighbor- located on the site of the old quarry. hoods. The shows use a mixture of prominent Broadway performers and local neighborhood talent. Neighborhood performers are auditioned Program Development from each area a few weeks before the show and worked into the program. A flatbed truck serves To make New York City "a city for people and as a portable stage for these performances and for living," the present City administration has direct dialogue between actor and audience is undertaken a number of imaginative approaches always invited. Everybody is encouraged to sing to recreation. Three years ago a program was or clap with the performers and shout a "YES" 41 The new look in parks includes futuristic playground equipment designed to capture the imagination ofyoungsters. The City ofMinneapolis has installed play equipment like this in several parks throughout the City. Photo: Minneapolis Star and Tribune Co. .39- 0 or "NO" to air their feelings. The real triumph year will include water shows featuring diving of the show is the mixture of top professionals exhibitions and synchronized swimming at each with judiciously-picked local talent. It has been of the 25 City swimming pools. Pittsburgh was a source of pride to the community to see that one of the first cities to realize that the Little its own members are being recognized. League baseball program was not sufficient to provide for all of the City's youngsters who One of Atlanta's most unusual and effective ef- wished to participate in baseball activities. Thus forts in the field of recreation is being made by the Parks and Recreation Department organized the owner of a local radio station serving the numerous community playground baseball Negro community who started working with the leagues around the City. Pittsburgh also has an Recreation Division about 12 years ago. The sta- excellent recreation program for senior citizens tion owner and a local phonograph record dis- which includes an annual picnic, games of tributor combined forces in a musical effort to chance, and auctions conducted with play prevent troubles during the summer of 1968. In money provided by the Parks and Recreation an unprecedented action, the two marshalled the Department. services of the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Atlanta Police Department, the Board of The Chicago Park District operates a traveling Education, the Parks and Recreation Depart- zoo to bring small animals into the slums for ment, and the Atlanta Youth and Children's children to see. The District has employed a Services Commission, to use recorded music to sculptor to design playground equipment with prevent disorders. Using a $3,000 grant from both aesthetics and durability in mind. In addi- OEO, the radio station staged between 5,000 tion, the Chicago Police and Fire departments and 6,000 record hops in underprivileged areas have undertaken recreation and sports programs throughout the spring and summer. The local designed primarily for children in slum neighbor- record distributor provided all the records free hoods to supplement the extensive recreation of charge. The station utilized ten assistant disc and sports activities of the Park District. The jockeys, all of whom were from ghettos and Fire Department has opened its gymnasium many of whom had problem pasts. These indi- to children from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.- viduals were trained to handle the record hops seven days a week throughout the year. Pro- by the operations manager of the radio station. fessional instructors are available to supervise The OEO grant was used to pay the bulk of their basketball, handball, gymnastics, boxing, wres- salaries. The Police Department provided five tling, judo, tennis, and volleyball programs. new station wagons equipped with sound ampli- Nine swimming pools have been located ad- fiers which circulated through the disadvantaged jacent to fire houses and Department person- areas putting on daytime record hops in the nel supervise swimming activities when not re- streets. Members of the crime prevention bureau sponding to a fire. Handball courts at 17 fire of the Police Department.accompanied the sta- houses have also been opened to the public. tion wagons to ward off trouble. The purpose of Also, the Department sponsors 320 softball the program was to learn where trouble was teams, provides tours on fire boats, and sponsors likely to occur and to go there before the outings to major league baseball games. Swim- trouble started in hopes of heading it off by ming pools have also been located next to three getting a dance going. The station owner states police stations with police officers supervising that dancing is the only social activity for teen- pool activities. In addition, the Police Depart- agers and young adults in the lower socio-eco- ment sponsors overnight camping trips, fishing nomic groups. He feels that his program has re- trips, and trips to major league ball games. duced ghetto tension and created.better avenues of communication among the races. The Department of Parks and Recreation in Nashville has instituted two programs that pro- The Pittsburgh summer recreation program this vide both recreation and job skill training. For -40- 3o OFF, N: Many city recreation departments are aided by other city departments in their efforts to provide a complete program of recreational alternatives. Here, athletic activities spon- Sored by the Chicago Fire Department sup- plement the Park District's Program. Photo: ", r-r-, Chicago Fire Department older youth, the Department of Parks and Rec- to major league baseball games; and local appear- reation has hauled old cars to school grounds ances by various entertainers and sports person- throughout the City. Here, neighborhood youth alities. can work on these cars and obtain practical me- chanical experience. This is a completely un- The City of Los Angeles has several programs structured recreational opportunity in which and means of implementing programs that are tools are provided and an adult is present only worthy of special note. One such program is the to answer questions and to share his mechanical Athletes For A Better America program. Under knowledge. In the second program, professional this program professional athletes conduct musicians teach teen-agers and young adults to sports clinics for the City's youth. The program play musical instruments. This provides an in- is not only useful in teaching athletic skills, but direct means of entry into the music industry, also serves as a physical fitness program. A sec- the largest industry in the City. ond sports activity was the organization of the Los Angeles Municipal Games. With this type of The City of Oakland has several recreation pro- program, interest in sports activity is maintained grams oriented toward the City's poverty areas. throughout the entire summer as competition Included are a teen arts program; instruction in leads up to the final city-wide championships. dressmaking, design and painting, and crafts; a Particular emphasis in this program is given to free swimming program; talent shows and talent expanding the range of sports activities to offer clinics; free tickets to motion picture theater opportunities to many children who have not parties; block dances for teen-agets; free tickets previously competed in sports. In addition, the -41- 7@- 7-77 _7 A G -7, Athletics other than team sports are becoming more and more popular.' The annual Los Angeles Municipal Games provide meaningful competition for participants in 17 different events. Photo: LosAngeles City Recreation andPark Department. Los Angeles Department of Recreation and The Pleasure Driveway and Park District of Parks provides free slot car racing facilities in Peoria has only recently begun to enlarge the empty stores in slum neighborhoods. and ar- types of recreational programs available to city ranges with a local airline for free flights over residents. Two extremely successful programs the City and Pacific Ocean, thus providing many have been the day camp and fishing trips. The children a first experience in flying, and a programs were for all City children, but resi- chance to have a pre-flight tour of flight facili- dents of deprived neighborhoods were given two ties. The Police and Fire departments in Los opportunities to participate in each program. Angeles, as in Chicago,' make a significant con- For the fishing program, a total of 1,400 pounds tribution to recreation. During 1967, they pro- of bullheads were stocked in two lakes on Park vided buses and drivers for the transportation of District land. A total of 1,105 children went on young, people to beaches, parks, Disneyland, and the fishing trips and caught 390 fish. The day other recreation sites in the metropolitan area. camp was designed to provide city children with -42- a "taste of nature." Among the unusual park Club Service workers spend the majority of their and recreation facilities operated by the District time on the street, in pool halls, or other places is a "nature trail" in one park in which visitors where young people congregate. Once initial can see a wide variety of plant life, including contact has been made and the street worker has rapidly vanishing prairie grass. the confidence of the young, the worker at- tempts to interest them in constructive activities provided by both the City and private agencies. Communications and Public Relations Individual and family counseling are provided Programs through cooperation with public and private welfare agencies. The Service has also arranged The Street Club Service is. a special program es- special talent shows and camping programs for tabliftd by the Baltimore Bureau of Recreation young people from deprived neighborhoods. to communicate with hard-to-reach young adults and teen-agers in order to encourage their partic- The Minneapolis recreation division has adopted ipation in available recreation activities. Street a new approach to recreation based upon the 4 'veJ@ X M 'A -7 7,1_@@ @X_ Successful recreation programs are those that provide something for everyone, and meet the specialized interests of various segments of the population. The fishing program in Peoria included stocking two lakes on Park District land. Photo: Peoria Journal Star. -43- idea that the effect of a recreation leader on ing was held with young Negroes to get their younsters can be all important. Consequently, ideas on recreation and other community serv- the entire recreation division is being restruc- ices. The use of comic books in remedial reading tured for the development of recreation leaders programs is another innovative concept of the in order to provide a lower leader-child ratio. It Recreation Department. is hoped that this will have a significant effect on anti-social behavior. For promotional purposes, Oakland has de- veloped a series of four brochures designed to To overcome a communication gap, officials in outline the recreational activities available in Nashville have used newspaper advertisements to each of four neighborhoods in the City. In addi- inform the general public of recreation programs tion to providing general information on city-. and special events. With the cooperation of the wide recreation facilities, these brochures also Metropolitan Action Committee, the local outlet describe the activities taking place within these of the Office of Economic Opportunity, a meet- neighborhoods. -44- RECREATION AND PARK PLANNING Through the years, the Federal and state govern- plan is the planned acquisition of land. The City ments have planned and developed excellent na- has control over the development of all land for tional and state park systems in rural America, a distance of five miles outside its corporate while many municipal recreation areas have been limits. This permits control over subdivision acquired through gifts of land or money, fre- growth and enables planners to designate spe- quently without benefit of an overall plan. The cific sites for the development of an area-wide development of effective park systems and recre- park system. @tion programs depends to a great extent upon the continuing availability of adequate financial The primary emphasis of Baltimore's master resources. However, there is almost universal park and recreation plan is on open spaces. The agreement that some kind of park and recreation stated objectives of the plan are to: (1 ) establish planning is necessary if the best interests of city a park and recreation ope n space policy that pro- residents are to be served. All too often, acute vides a structure for the future development of land deficiencies, especially in high density the City, insures high quality in the living en- neighborhoods, are directly attributable to in- vironment, and provides adequate public open adequate planning. space and a well-rounded recreation program properly distributed in relation to future popula- tion; (2) promote expanded city participation in Reasons for Planning outdoor recreation, open space, and natural re- sources programs; Q) develop recreation, open Planning is particularly important with regard to space, and environmental considerations relating land acquisition and the designation of open to the City's transportation system; (4) outline spaces within a metropolitan area. There is little the possible contribution of private individuals, available land for parks and recreation in most institutions, and industries; and (5) relate the cities, and what land is available is rapidly being total outdoor park and recreation program to developed. A park and recreation plan indicating Federal and state aid programs and to develop the future needs of the city for land and facili- an outline of the capital budget for City expend- ties can be a valuable tool to city officials in itures for the next 20 years. meeting city recreation needs. Although the plan itself does not solve any problems, it presents a Portland is an example of a city that did not consensus of community views toward overall follow its recreation and park plan. The plan, park and recreation development if properly developed in 1943, stated that ". . . the greatest conceived. deficiency is the manner, distribution, size, and equipment of children's playgrounds." Between Most park and recreation master plans at present 1943 and 1964, when a new plan was developed, are land and facility oriented. In San Antonio, only 2 of 17 playgrounds recommended for for instance, the basic objective of the master acquisition had been acquired. Of the remainder, -45- five had been lost through development for Planning Department, the Department of Parks other purposes, five were in the planning stage, and Recreation, the staff of Economic Opportu- and five were still available but no plans had nity Atlanta, the Community Council of the been developed for acquisition or use. Atlanta area, and the Model Cities staff were just a few of the many departments and organiza- In Chicago and Oakland, the park and recreation tions which participated in the preparation of plans are incorporated in the general city plan the plan. Similarly, the master park plan in San for land use and development. As such, they set Antonio was prepared by the Planning Depart- forth broad community goals as a guide for city ment in cooperation with the Department of action, but do not set forth specific recreational Parks and Recreation, the Department of Urban objectives. The city councils use the plans as Renewal, the Land Acquisition section of the guides in evaluating proposals for physical City Attorney's office, the Board of Education, changes and the scheduling of municipal im- and local neighborhood citizen groups. The provements. City departments use the plans as Health and Welfare Council of Metropolitan Chi- guides in recommending changes in the construc- cago, the Chicago Association of Commerce and tion of facilities. The plans constitute the frame- Industry, the Chicago Area Transportation work within which the zoning boards make deci- Study Commission, and private consultants par- sions, and they guide businessmen making ticipated with City officials and professional per- decisions concerning the development of private sonnel in developing the City's comprehensive facilities. plan. In addition to citizen participation, opinion sur- Participation in Planning veys, questionnaires, and random canvassing can be utilized to determine the recreation prefer- The end products of recreation planning depend ences of neighborhood residents. In Los Angeles, in large part on the factors considered in plan personal interviews and questionnaires were used preparation. In addition to professional planning to obtain the views of persons using neighbor- and recreational personnel, elected officials, hood recreation centers. In Nashville, a survey of semi-public organizations and interest groups, programs and activities by the Council of Com- and neighborhood associations should be en- munity Services provided information for the couraged to, participate in the planning process. City recreation plan. City councils are more inclined to approve plans in which a broad spectrum of the community The information obtained from surveys and has participated, and the plan itself will more through citizen participation in the planning likely be relevant to needs because it considers process is of significance for two reasons. First, the advice and interest of land- facility- and the data obtained from these sources represents people-oriented groups. Public participation 'is a humanistic factor in planning that cannot be also important because it contributes to the citi- calculated on an "acres per capita" basis. Sec- zen's feeling of involvement in decisions that af- ond, citizen participation helps recreation offic- fect him and his community. Insofar as possible, ials solve the problem of establishing recreation all recreation planning should be based on the priorities and determining program needs. desires of the consuming public, but always a balance must be struck between what people want, and what can be provided. Capital Improvement Plans In Atlanta, citizen groups extending down to Capital improv ement programs are virtual pre- the block level participated in the formulation requisites for the implementation of the master of the recreation plan. The Mayor, the Parks park and recreation plan. Such plans usually Committee of the Board of Aldermen, the City cover five or six years, the first of which is for- -46- mally approved at budget time each year. The re- Approach to Planning maining years of the plan are tentatively ap- proved subject to annual revision to assure that Each city must develop a philosophy of planning the program objectives are still relevant to com- and an actual plan which reflect the commu- munity needs. In cities that do not have a master nity's recreation and park needs while taking park and recreation plan, the capital improve- into consideration the area's unique character- ment plan assumes even greater importance. In istics. Thus, there are almost as many different St. Louis, for example, the recreation plan has kinds of plans and approaches to planning as not been revised since January 1944. The City there are cities. In developing its 15-year plan, has had, however, a series of five-year capital all of Atlanta's parks were reclassified according improvement programs that have effectively pro- to their suitability for community, neighbor- vided for park and recreation needs. Similarly, in hood, or block parks. In order to make maxi- Minneapolis, the capital improvement plan has mum use of existing parks, service areas were been expanded from a narrow budget-oriented defined around the reclassified community parks tool to a comprehensive plan incorporating a using preliminary drafts of the new land use plan program for park and recreation development. and population projections for 1983. Patterns of resident areas, natural boundaries, traditional neighborhoods, and industrial areas were given Operating Without a Master Plan considerable weight. Chicago's comprehensive plan calls for the City to be developed as 16 Examination of Table 13 shows that 4 of the 15 separate units. The development plans of each cities visited - Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, St. separate unit will be distributed to various or- Louis, and Tampa - are currently operating ganizations and citizens concerned. Meetings will without a park and recreation plan. The absence then be held between citizens and representa- of an overall park and recreation plan in Min- tives of the City to discuss and revise develop- neapolis apparently can be attributed directly to ment plans where appropriate. Projects proposed the City structure that provides for both an in- in the 16 development plans will be imple- dependent Park Board and City Planning Depart- mented through capital improvement pro- ment. However, the need for a master plan is gramming. recognized and it is hoped that recently initiated Federal programs will result in the mutual de- The City of Dayton does not have an overall velopment of such a plan. Pittsburgh, St. Louis, recreation and park plan but is developing indi- and Tampa utilize a capital improvement pro- vidual area plans. These area plans, which must be gram for park and recreation facility planning. approved by City Council, do not cover any par- The danger of operating without a master park ticular time period, but are presented as stages and recreation plan is that often the city finds that may be carried out whenever possible or that it is responding almost entirely to localized desired. Park and recreation objectives vary in pressures with very little attention being given to each individual area. This can be an effective comprehensive community-wide problems. This approach to park and recreation planning in the has been found to be the case in Pittsburgh. absence of a master plan. -47- TABLE 13 PARK AND RECREATION PLANNING IN 15 SELECTED CITIES Type Duration Financing Participants in Public Capital im- City of plan of plan Updating for plan developing the plan hearings provement plan Atlanta Park and 15 years Periodically 50 United Board of Aldermen, Mayor, City Yes Yes Recreation Appeal 5017o Planning Department, Park and Master Plan Citizens Park Recreation Department, Commu- and Advisory nity Council Commission Baltimore Park and 20 years Periodically City general Recreation and Park Board, Plan- Yes Yes Recreation fund ning Commission, City Council, Master Plan City Departments, Citizens Groups, Private Consultant 00 Chicago Comprehen- 15 years Continuous City general Plan Commission, City Council, Yes Yes sive Plan fund Mayor, City Departments, Park for City District, Citizens, Semi-Public Organizations Dayton Area Plans Indefinite No City general City Council, Neighborhood No Yes for Parks fund Group, Private Architect and Recrea- tion Los Angeles Park and 10 years Annual City Planning City Council, Planning Depart- Yes Yes Recreation Department ment, Citizens Groups, City Master Plan Departments Minneapolis No Plan - Yes Nashville Park and 6 years City general Park and Recreation Department Yes Yes Recreation fund is now in the process of develop- Master Plan ing the plan. TABLE 13 (Continued) PARK AND RECREATION PLANNING IN 15 SELECTED CITIES Type Duration Financing Participants in Public Capital im- city of plan of plan Updating for plan developing the plan hearings provement plan New York Park and Indefinite Annual State and City Planning Commission, City Yes Yes Recreation Federal Operating Departments, State Master Plan Funds Department of Conservation, Neighborhood Groups Oakland General De- 25 years Annual City Plan City Planning Commission, Mayor, Yes Yes velopment Commission City Council, City Departments, Plan for City Community Groups Peoria Park and Indefinite At Request Park District Park District, City Planning De- Yes Yes Recreation of Staff funds partment, School District, Tri- Master Plan County Planning Commission, Recreation Advisory Committee Pittsburgh No Plan Yes Portland Park and Indefinite Annual City general Park and Recreation Department, Yes Yes Recreation fund City Manager, City Council, Master Plan Planning Board, City Departments St. Louis No Plan - 1944 Plan has never been updated Yes San Antonio Park 20 years Every 5 City getieral Department of Planning, Park and Yes Yes Master Plan years fund Recreation Advisory Board, Neighborhood Groups, City Departments Tampa No Plan Yes CONCLUSION Cities must continue to expand their efforts to all levels of government. Local governments provide the kind Of recreation the people want, need the active support of the Federal and state when they want it, where they want it. Recog- governments in such fields as land acquisition, nition of this 'constitutes the basis for all the facility construction, personnel training, and changes and trends in recreation noted through- technical assistance. Without such support, parks out this report. In muc 'h the same way that and recreation programs may again be sacrificed urban renewal.and Model City programs are now for the maintenance of the basic protective func- attempting to emphasize human development as tions of local government. Given such support, opposed to physical development, so must recre- city officials and recreation personnel can con- ation be strengthened by citizen participation. tinue to demonstrate their creative ability to To implement the policies and programs formu- innovate and develop recreational programs rele- lated in this manner requires the cooperation of vant to today's urban society. -50- APPENDIXES -5l- APPENDIX A ACTUAL 1950 POPULATION OF PRESC110OL AND SCHOOL,AGED RESIDENTS IN 15 SELECTED CITIES' Age groups City Total Under 5 5-9 10-14 15-19 New York 2,111,592 665,889 535,039 443,599 467,065 Chicago 991,063 327,176 256,150 205,323 202,414 Los Angeles 504,325 174,120 132,323 99,568 98,314 Baltimore 284,854 92,456 .73,495 59,371 59,532 San Antonio 151,659 53,634 39,592 30,095 28,357 St. Louis 232,676 77,223 55,972 47,984 51,497 Pittsburgh 198,159 62,013 49,689 43,254 43,203 Atlanta 99,780 32,467 23,404 20,220 23,689 Minneapolis 143,316. 48,632 35,247 27,528 31,909 Nashville 51,915 16,097 11,653 10,563 f3,602 Oakland 99,994 35,256 25,104 19,622 20,012 Tampa 3 5,3 r4 11,351 9,291 7,284 7,388 Dayton 70,619 25,362 17,252 14,123 13,882 Peoria 32,479 10,326 7,863 6,806 7,484 Portland 23,385 7,226 5,785 4,912 5,462 Total 5,031,129 1,639,228 1,277,849 1,040,242 1,073,810 All data for this year derived from: U. S. Bureau of the Census. U. S. Census of Population: 1960. General Population Charac- teristics, Final Report PC (1), 1961. -52- APPENDIX B ACTUAL 1960 POPULATION OF PRESCHOOL AND SCHOOL-AGED RESIDENTS IN 15 SELECTED CITIES' Age groups City Total Under 5 5-9 10-14 15-19 New York 2,344,736 686,717 595,847 575,321 486,851 Chicago 1,187,224 380,672 312,929 271,083 222,540 Los Angeles 810,950 249,232 221,451 192,416 147,851 Baltimore 339,431 102,609 90,093 81,472 65,257 San Antonio 255,152 79,593 71,415 60,590 43,S54 St. Louis 250,483 82,184 66,033 55,736 46,530 Pittsburgh 200,783 58,101 53,137 48,035 41,510 Atlanta 176,844 52,894 46,821 41,492 35,637 Minneapolis 155,096 45,883 38,316 34,605 36,292 Nashville 61,420 18,571 15,646 13,296 13,907 Oakland 115,647 34,771 30,273 28,220 22,383 Tampa 97,461 M,669 26,559 23,925 18,308 Dayton 95,691 29,382 25,651 22,558 18,100 Peoria 36,359 10,793 9,374 8,426 7,766 Portland 25,201 7,135 6,478 6,230 5,358 Total 6,152,478 1,867,206 1,610,023 1,463,405 1,211,844 All data for this year derived from: U. S. Bureau of the Census. U. S. Census of Population: 1960. General Population Charac- teristics, Final Report PC (1), 1961. -53- APPENDIX C ESTIMATED 1965 POPULATION OF PRESCHOOL AND SCHOOL-AGED RESIDENTS IN 15 SELECTED CITIES Age groups city Total Under 5 5-9 10-14 15-19 New York' 2,891,700 785,700 769,500 704,700 631,800 Chicago' 1,264,300 372,500 j33,000 302,500 256,300 Los AngeleO 1,071,100 277,100 274,400 270,200 2419,400 Baltimore 4 357,000 102,200 95,000 84,100 75,700 San Antonios 293,800 91,600 .82,100 70,000 @0,100 St. LoUiS6 241,000 79,600 64,300 53,400 43,700 Pittsburgh 7 192,100 55,000 46,700 46,600 43,800 Atlanta8 183,900 55,000 48,700 43,100 37,100 Minneapolis3 186,900 48,200 48,100 47,100 43,500 Nashville 3 175,000 45,200 45,000 44,100 40,700 Oakland9 125,800 .32,000 33,600 31,700 28,500 Tampa 3 118,000 30,400 30,400 29,700 27,500 Dayton 3 104,000 27,000 26,600 26,200 24,200 Peoria 3 52,800 13,600 13,600 13,300 12,300 Portland" 12,200 3,300 3,300 3,100 .2,500 Total 7,269,600 2,018,400 1,914,300 1,769,800 1,567,100 I Data supplied by Planning and Development Department, Port of New York Authority. 2Data supplied by Population Research and Training Center, University of Chicago. 3Data derived by the National Rate Method of population projection. 4Data supplied by Research and Planning Section, Baltimore Health Department. 5 Data supplied by City Planning Department. 6 Data supplied by City Plan Commission. 7Data supplied by Center for Regional Economic Studies, University of Pittsburgh. 8 Data supplied by Physical Health Statistics Division, Georgia Department of Public Health. 9Data supplied by Survey Research Center, University of California at Berkeley. 10 Data supplied by City'Planning Board. -54- APPENDIX D PROJECTED 1970 POPULATION OF PRESCHOOL AND SCHOOL-AGED RESIDENTS IN I@ SELECTED CITIES Age groups City Total Under 5 5-9 10-14 15-19 New York' 2,991,900 807,700 758,300 741,800 684,100 Chicag02 1,342,000 365,000 353,000 334,000 290,000 Los AngeleS3 1,142,700 258,300 301,600 302,800 280,000 Baltimore 4 359,4oo 95,200 91,900 93,200 79,100 San Antonios 332,800 103,700 93,000 79,300 56,800 St. LoUiS6 248,500 73500 73,600 54,900 46,500 Pittsburgh7 189,900 57:600 46,000 42,400 43,900 Atlanta8 191,000 57,100 50,600 44,800 38,500 ol*3 Minneap is 193,200 43,700 51,000 51,200 47,300 Nashville 3 177,700 40,200 46,900 47,100 43,500 Oakland 3 150,900 34,100 39,800 40,000 37,000 Tampa 3 132,300 29,900 34,900 35,100 32,400 Dayton 3 112,600 25,500 29,600 29,900 27,600 Peoria 3 53,500 12,100 14,100 14,200 13,100 Portland9 12,000 3,000 3,300 3,100 2,600 Total 7,630,400 2,006,600 1,987,600 1,913,800 1,722,400 I Data supplied by Planning and Development Department, Port of New York Authority. 2Data supplied by Population Research and Training Center, University of Chicago, 3Data derived by the National Rate Method of population projection. 4Data supplied by Research and Planning Section, Baltimore Health Departmen t. 5 Data supplied by City Planning Department. 6Data supplied by City Plan Commission. 7Data supplied by Center for Regional Economic Studies, University of Pittsburgh. 8Data supplied by Physical Health Statistics Division, Georgia Department of Public Health. 9Data supplied by City Planning Board. -55- APPENDIX E PROJECTED 1980 POPULATION OF PRESCHOOL AND SCHOOL,AGED RESIDENTS IN 15 SELECTED CITIES' Age groups City Total Under 5 5-9 10-14 15-19 New York 2,929,100 777,800 694,000 673,500 783,800 Chicago 1,293,300 343,400 306,400 297,400 346,100 Los Angeles 1,256,400 333,600 297,700 288,900 336,200 Baltimore 323,900 86,000 76,700 74,500 86,700 San Antonio 324,300 86,100 76,800 74,600 86,800 St. Louis 227,200 60,300 53,800 52,306 60,800 Pittsburgh 191,400 50,900 45,300 44,000 51,200 Atlanta 193,600 51,400 45,900 44,500 51,800 Minneapolis 174,800 46,400 41,400 40,200 '46,800 Nashville 177,500 47,100 42,100 40,800 47,500 Oakland 143,600 38,200 34,000 33,000 38)'400 Tampa 150,400 39,900 35,600 34,600 40,300 Dayton 111,400 29,600 26,400 25,600 29,800 Peoria 52,000 13,800 12,300 12,000 13,900 Portland 23,600 6,300 5,600 5,400 6,300 Total 7,572,500 2,010,800 1,794,000 1,741,300 2,026,400 All data for this year derived by the National Rate Method of population projection. -56- NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES 1969 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Illus W. Davis C. Beverly Briley Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee Robert E. Fryer, Director Vice President Michigan Municipal League Floyd H. Hyde Daniel D. Guice Mayor of Fresno, California Mayor of Bilox 'i, Mississippi Immediate Past President Walter J. Kelliher James H. J. Tate Mayor of Malden, Massachusetts Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Joseph N, Langan Ivan Allen, Jr. Commissioner of Mobile, Alabama Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia Charles F. LeeDecker, Executive Director Louis Bay, 2nd Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs Mayor of Hawthorne, New Jersey John V. Lindsay Mayor of New York, New York Curtis Blyth, Executive Director David Mann, Executive Director Nevada Municipal Association New Hampshire Municipal Association J. D. Braman Stephen Matthews, Executive Director Mayor of Seattle, Washington Texas Municipal League Thomas R. Byrne Bennie Schmiett, Executive Director Mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota Utah Municipal League John Coleman, Executive Director Carl B. StDkes Ohio Municipal League Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio Frank Curran Judson F. Williams Mayor of San Diego, California Mayor of El Paso, Texas 1969 ADVISORY COUNCIL Chairman Jess Lanier James H. J. Tate Mayor of Bessemer, Alabama Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Herschel 1. Lashkowitz Crawford J. Carroll Mayor of Fargo, North Dakota Mayor of Dover, Delaware Richard C.'Lee Jerome P. Cavanagh. Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut Mayor of Detroit, Michigan David H. McLeod Richard J. Daley Mayor of Florence, South Carolina Mayor of Chicago, Illinois Henry W. Maier Wayne Gilley Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mayor of Lawton, Oklahoma Roy B. Martin, Jr. Mayor of Norfolk, Virginia Oran K. Gragson Georpe M., Miller Mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada Mayor of Tak6ma Park, Maryland Joseph M. Healey Arthur Naftalin Mayor of Kearny, New Jersey Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota Nathan B. Kaufman Victor H. Schiro Mayor of University City, Missouri Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana James W. Kelly, Jr. Allen C. Thofthpson Mayor of East Orange, New Jersey Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi PROFESSIONAL STAFF Patrick Healy Lawrence A. Williams Executive Director Director, Contract Research John Garvey, Jr. Floyd A. Decker Deputy Executive Director Research Associate Evan Goulding Andrew B. Horgan Administrative Assistant Research Associate Beverly Collins Peter D. Veillette Office Manager Research Associate Ed Young, Joe Fenton Research Associate Librarian Frank J. Heller Allen E. Pritchard Research Assistant Assistant Executive Director John K. Christian Donald G. Alexander Publisher I Legislative Assistant Raymond L. Bancroft Peter B. Harkins Managing Editor Legislative Assistant Tom Dickman Editorial Assistant Robert E. Josten Eileen Hartman Legislative Assistant Circulation Secretary Charles W. Schneider Virginia N6rney Federal Aids Service Advertising Production Manager 3 668 00 05852