NRPA is Building Community Parks – NC State is Measuring their Long Term Success

NC State’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management is partnering with Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University on a new research grant to measure the impact of the NRPA’s 2019 Parks Build Community Project. PRTM Associate Professor, Dr. Aaron Hipp, is working with graduate student Will Beam to explore three potential impacts: health, social and economic. This research aligns with the work Dr. Hipp does with the Physical Activity Research Center (PARC), where he is the Co-Principal Investigator along with Principal Investigator and CNR Interim Dean, Dr. Myron Floyd. At PARC, they have been investigating park-based physical activity among youth from low-income communities of color.

NRPA’s Three Pillars – Conservation, Health and Wellness, Social Equity

 

NRPA’s annual project, Parks Build Community, (PBC) started in 2008 to align with the National Recreation and Park Association’s (NRPA) Conference, which meets in different locations throughout the country. Each year, the NRPA partners with community organizations and park equipment manufacturers to completely renovate a park in the city hosting the conference. Since the 2019 conference was located in Baltimore, the NRPA partnered with the Baltimore City Department of Parks and Recreation in choosing the Catherine ABC Park as the perfect location.  The research started in November 2018 when Dr. Hipp and Will Beam visited the neighborhood where the park is located to speak with community members about the project. On December 11, 2018, there was a groundbreaking ceremony and on September 23, 2019 they had a ribbon cutting ceremony to re-open the park, proceeding the start of the conference. The research will continue for five years with Dr. Hipp presenting his findings annually at the NRPA conference.
Article in Parks & Recreation Magazine
Video – NRPA’s Parks Build Community: Catherine Street / ABC Park