Quick Action Environmental Data Assessment Checklist

This quick-action assessment checklist guides local park and recreation professionals through collecting basic data agencies should consider when conducting an environmental sustainability assessment. The checklist provides an array of data sources and metrics appropriate for parks across five key areas — resilience, ​environment, economic, social and general. This tool can help identify the most essential data to collect and provide possible next steps for leveraging this information to advance data-driven environmental sustainability goals. It was adapted specifically for parks from ​ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability USA​​'s tools in partnership with NRPA.

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Excel Data Analysis for Park and Recreation Professionals

This course will introduce park and recreation professionals to the basics of how to use Microsoft Excel for data management and analysis. Participants will apply knowledge learned and gain hands-on experience with MS Excel by using a parks and recreation-specific case study with sample data.

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Health Impact Evaluation Framework

This framework helps local park and recreation agencies better measure the impact of their health and wellness programs and initiatives, by connecting agencies to a multitude of existing evaluation tools, data sources, data analysis, data collection tools and other resources.

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Community Needs Assessments

The NRPA Community Needs Assessment Resource will guide you through the entire community needs assessment lifecycle — from deciding on clear goals to eliciting a high response rate from your community. Most importantly, it will show you how to use the survey data to strengthen your agency in both the short- and long-term.

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Customer Feedback Surveys

Customer feedback surveys lead to a more effective and engaged park and recreation staff. Building feedback loops through which your customers comment on your agency’s amenities and services allows your team to identify ways to deliver more satisfying experiences.

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Data and Mapping Resource Library

A wealth of free, data and mapping resources are available to assist your agency in broadening its impact on the community and operate more efficiently. The Data and Mapping Resource Library offers a collection of relevant, publicly available databases and visualizations curated for park and recreation professionals and advocates.

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Green Infrastructure Evaluation Framework

Green Infrastructure (GI) and this Evaluation Framework are at the heart of NRPA’s Great Urban Parks campaign. The goal is to help communities across the nation implement not only new green infrastructure projects but also evaluate the impact of these GI projects in new and practical ways.

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Recommended Measures to Evaluate Park Use and Quality

Local parks are an essential part of healthy and vibrant communities. It is important that park and recreation professionals continually evaluate their park areas to understand levels of use and overall quality. This resource presents an overview of measures commonly used in park evaluations to help you get your own park evaluation off the ground.

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Defining Data

Evaluation in parks and recreation involves data in the form of numbers (quantitative) and narratives (qualitative). This resource provides fundamental knowledge and guidance for using these two data types.

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Determining Your Capacity for Evaluation

Conducting a good evaluation requires an investment of time and money. Before getting started, it is best to do a “reality check” and assess whether your proposed evaluation is feasible. This resource will help you determine your agency’s capacity to conduct your intended evaluation.

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