Quality Outdoor Spaces and Designs - Element of a Vibrant, Vital and Resilient Downtown
What are quality outdoor spaces/design?
Outdoor spaces with quality design can help define a community. They are vibrant places that foster social interaction and physical connectivity. The design of these spaces attracts people and encourages them to engage with the space and each other. These places can be pastoral or urban in nature providing relaxation, entertainment, exercise, events and plenty of amenities like places to sit, picnic areas, parking and lighting.
Why is this element important in creating a great downtown?
There are both health and economic benefits to providing residents with quality outdoor spaces that are designed for both passive and active recreation as well as a gathering place. The health benefit offered from access to these spaces, is both mental and physical. In addition to affording residents and visitors with a retreat from daily life, it gives people a place to meet and connect with one another. These spaces are designed for play, whether it’s dancing at a concert or watching your kids on a playground- drawing people downtown during the day and the night. These quality spaces also have quantitative factors such as increased tourism, increased resident/visitor spending, increased property values and a better quality of life.
What are the current assets?
The town currently operates 15 parks, nine trails totaling 38 miles, the Parker Recreation Center, H2O’Brien Pool, Parker Fieldhouse and comprehensive recreation, sports and events programs for the community. Downtown has over 13 acres of parks including H2O’Brien Park and Discovery Park, which drew a combined 90,000 visitors in 2018. The Town of Parker’s award-winning Parks and Recreation Department exemplifies this essential element by designing spaces that protect assets, connects people and places, supply critical amenity infrastructure and add to our quality of life.
Where are opportunities for improvement?
As growth and development persists in town, it is a priority to provide more parks, trails and recreation facilities while preserving open space throughout Parker. In downtown, it is important to ensure that the current park designs, amenities, and safety and maintenance standards remain a high priority and continue to serve residents and visitors in the best way possible. Additionally, it is important to ensure that future investments in parks and public spaces is focused on enhancing and expanding downtown’s current public event spaces.
How does developing the My Mainstreet parcels improve current conditions?
The development of the My Mainstreet parcels allows for five opportunities to invest in parks and open space by incorporating public space into the design and development of these parcels. An equally important factor is the possibility that the development of these parcels can aid in the costs needed to maintain and innovate outdoor spaces in downtown.
