Michelin Stars Versus Taco Bell
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Michelin Stars vs Taco Bell
 
This week, Honolulu's parks got a deep dive in a well-written profile that gave voice to the complex dynamics facing modern day urban park professionals. Competing demands for space (addressing a rapidly growing population of individuals experiencing homelessness, devoting parkland to manage stormwater runoff), competing demands and priorities from an admiring, but fickle, public, all in the face of shrinking municipal budget. Honolulu's story evokes something I hear over and over from the local government front lines: we're being asked to do more with less.  

Why do we as a culture lionize the notion of doing more with less? Like some zombie Calvinist vestige of a Depression-era culture where our grandparents ate rock soup, shared the same old tattered jacket, and walked 5 miles each way to school up hill, in the snow, barefoot, doing more with less is a badge of honor. Doing more with less narratives are rooted in the necessity of sacrifice in the face of scarcity, but in the wealthiest country in the history of the world our industry can, and should, be focusing less on thrift and more on value.  

In every other facet of our lives doing more with less is insulting and suggests that there is no value in what you offer. I can't parent my kids better by spending less time with them, in the kitchen I don't make better food by skimping on or skipping ingredients, if I want shoes that will last for a long time, I pay (aka invest in quality). This gets to the fundamental question of value, not of pithy slogans, rather real investments in things we collectively view as important. NRPA data shows that the public values parks and rec infrastructure and services and that parks and recreation have a significant economic impact. Let's not shy away from a conversation about value! 
 
Our current and next generation of urban park leaders need be prepared to embrace a complex new park management ecosystem, and alongside us here at NRPA, will have to start to switch the narrative from "do more with less" to "we get what we pay for."  Being competent — doing more with less — makes us nice to have, but being essential means investment of time, people, and money. It's time we stop pretending that we can make magic and do "more with less" it's time to have an honest assessment and reckoning with our public about getting what they pay for and properly valuing our park and recreation assets. Yes, you are being asked to do more, and all of the professionals I speak with are up to the challenge and welcome the opportunity — but we can't add true value without true investment. I don't mean to suggest that parks are a market driven luxury good that are only available to well-heeled consumers. We don't all eat at Michelin starred restaurants for dinner every night, nor should we, and in a competitive public park funding environment a Michelin starred park system is a heavy lift, but we also shouldn't settle for a Taco Bell park system. Sure if you want, we can try more with less, but as anyone who's eaten at Taco Bell knows, you're going to regret it the next day.  
 
 
Kevin O'Hara
Vice President of Urban and Government Affairs
 
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A new report issued by NRPA demonstrates the vast economic impact of our nation's local parks. According to the report, local parks generated more than $154 billion in U.S. economic activity and supported more than 1.1 million jobs in 2015 from their operations and capital spending alone. Developed in partnership with the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University, the report also includes a state-level analysis that highlights the economic impact of local parks in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
See Your State's Impact
 
As a park and recreation professional, you already know first-hand the major role parks and recreation plays in the everyday lives of our community members — but how does the private sector see us? Join NRPA and Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Department this May for one of NRPA's highly acclaimed Innovation Labs to discuss best practices around how parks and recreation contribute to a region's quality of life and how private sector views parks from a competitive economic lens. Through site visits and facilitated discussions, leaders in and out of parks and recreation will discuss how parks can better integrate into regional/city economic development planning, and identify novel funding sources for parks and recreation through economic development activities (check out this article for a preview). 
 
These Labs always sell-out, so sign up soon!
Learn More and Register
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