Webinar Description:
As communities throughout the United States are struggling with declining revenues, parks and recreation departments are often shouldering a disproportionate share of budget cuts; many elected officials, city/county managers and residents regard Parks and Recreation as a "non-essential" public service. At the same time, many communities are struggling with a variety of pressing economic, social and environmental issues. This juxtaposition of budget cuts - and pressing urban issues - is providing a unique opportunity for parks and recreation professionals to redefine and reposition their departments. This session identifies the specific community benefits that can be generated by an effective parks and recreation system, and outlines a process for positioning parks and recreation departments as community leaders.

Learning Objectives:

During the webinar you will:

• Explain the benefits that can be generated by a well-planned and operated parks and recreation system to address economic, social and environmental issues.
• Develop a plan to reposition a parks and recreation department as a leader in generating community benefits.

Speaker: 
David Barth, RLA, ASLA, AICP, CPRP, Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin, Inc.

Speaker Information:

David Barth is a partner in the community planning firm of Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin, where he specializes in parks and open space system planning, community visioning and urban design. In addition to his experience with over fifty community parks, recreation and open space system master plans, he also speaks and writes extensively on community parks and open space system topics such as needs assessments, master plans, and Level of Service (LOS) analysis. He recently prepared the chapter Parks, Recreation and Open Space Needs Assessments for the new American Planning Association's Planning and Urban Design Standards, as well as the Needs Assessment chapter for the recent APA publication From Recreation to Re-creation: New Approaches in Parks and Open Space System Planning. Dave is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP), as well as a Certified Planner (AICP) and a Registered Landscape Architect. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Florida (1978) and a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Palm Beach Atlantic University (2002).