A Parks Renaissance

It was a warm morning in April 2020, when I headed out to the garage on a mission: to find the bicycle tire air pump. That often-overlooked pump was now key to our family’s health, joy, and even sanity because we were getting ready for a family bike ride along a local park’s waterside path. We were looking for relief from COVID-19 lockdown orders.

My family was part of a massive resurgence in getting outdoors at a time when nationwide closures were happening at gyms, pools, playgrounds, restaurants, stores, and many workplaces. As Americans headed outside, municipalities and state and federal parks agencies paid closer attention to how communities engaged with their public spaces, including parks, trails, plazas, and other recreational facilities.

Parks Designed with People in Mind

Those open-air spaces were safe for gathering. People rekindled their joy in connecting with nature and each other, whether they were getting a much-needed workout or simply relaxing.

According to the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), seven out of eight park and recreation agencies had most of their parks open in April 2020, and more than 90% kept trail networks available to the public. The National Park Service reported surges in visitation throughout 2020, and the agency reported a record 331.9 million recreation visits happened in 2024, breaking a record previously set in 2016. Thirty-eight National Parks experienced visitation above the 10-year average in every month of 2024.

These national figures are proof that parks matter, but it is at the local park level that real impacts can be made in everyday quality of life.

The COVID era’s sharp rise in outdoor recreation highlighted for community leaders not just how much their green spaces matter, but how much the design of those spaces matters. The idea of “play” was transcended as amenities and inclusivity were counted alongside promoting health and well-being as key features of what community members wanted from their parks.

That’s where engineers come in, as we design with people in mind.

Howard Park

For example, our firm’s Southeast team hosted a community workshop for the City of West Palm Beach, Florida’s Howard Park project. By providing a venue for neighbors, park users, and city recreation department officials to come together, we helped make outreach part of the project.

Outreach like this event is where residents share their ideas for features and improvements that would make the park even more enjoyable and useful for the community. By listening directly to the people who know the park best, the design team can shape a plan that reflects the community’s desires, and municipal officials can invest resources where they matter most.

Parks as a Public Service

NRPA reports that 91% of people agree that parks and recreation is an important service provided by their local government. In fact, 86% of U.S. residents say proximity to parks and recreation facilities is important when choosing a place to live. Nearly three-quarters report that they live within walking distance of at least one park and recreation facility.

We understand as parks designers that people want:

• Walking and bicycling loops
• Exercise stations
• Children’s play areas
• Sports fields and courts
• Open-air performance spaces
• Benches and pavilions

We also understand as engineers that providing these features requires infrastructure investment. This can range from grading and drainage designs to mitigation of water and soil contaminations from prior site usage.

Once the site is prepared, we can focus on what residents say they want and need.

Royal Palm Beach Commons Park

Our team helped bring features referred to above to Royal Palm Beach Commons Park in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, where a scenic hike-and-bike trail invites visitors to explore the park. A vibrant great lawn offers playgrounds, pavilions, fishing docks, volleyball courts, a stage, and a lively hub for the village’s outdoor activities.

Design services involved grading for the site, including the water bodies, which were intended to support aquatic plants. The project also included irrigating the site with surface waters, requiring the preparation of a water-use permit for the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).

Our firm also prepared utility plans to provide water distribution, fire protection, and sanitary sewer collection, including a pump station and pretreatment grease traps. The design even addressed potential uses for the outparcels slated to be developed.

To further support the community, we later added grass parking lots that provide extra space during large events. Since the park needs this parking only on occasion, the grass lots offer a smart, environmentally friendly solution that balances convenience with sustainability, helping Commons Park remain a beloved gathering place for everyday use and major celebrations.

Designing Parks’ Amenities

As community leaders respond to public demand with investment in their parks, people now expect more from these spaces. Amenities like restrooms and splash pads require the expertise of civil engineers.

But did you know pickleball courts do, too?

Any type of court installed at a park requires grading and sloping designs to prevent flooding and pooling. Depending on the full site’s needs, civil engineering designs may include drainage systems, stormwater management, and even permeable playing surfaces.

Improved lighting can illuminate courts and fields, and bring safety to park walkways. A well-lit park can also remain open and usable after dusk for nighttime socializing and playing sports. A pavilion that serves as a site for live music and theater productions needs power for those performances.

If we are designing electrical facilities, some modern park planners are also choosing to provide electrical outlets, charging stations, and Wi-Fi access.

Coleman Park

Our work at the City of West Palm Beach’s historic Coleman Park transformed the aging community center into a vibrant hub for residents. The expanded facility now includes state-of-the-art spaces for much-needed after-school programs, a well-used indoor basketball court, and flexible areas for other community uses identified by neighbors during preproject meetings.

By listening to residents and honoring their priorities, the project not only preserves a historic space but also breathes new life into a center that will serve families and strengthen the neighborhood for years to come.

Bicycles, Trails, and Delivering Needs

An engineer’s designs for parks considers the site’s features and the community’s needs. For example, bicycle facilities in parks require consideration of the topography; signage, lighting, and overwater needs; and how the facilities will be maintained.

The rise of e-bikes also means more people can travel faster, farther, and for longer, opening cycling to people who may have long ago given up their conventional bicycles.

When my family got on our bicycles, we were lucky to have so many local options for safe cycling, including in Wellington Environmental Preserve, which has paved trails, boardwalks, and dirt paths through wetlands. Other communities enjoy paved and crushed stone trails; wetland boardwalks; and rail trails that have repurposed decommissioned railway beds for mountain biking and hiking through urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Equity and Accessibility in Parks

The COVID era’s attention on parks helped communities reimagine how recreational and green spaces can serve everyone. This happened, in part, because when going outside became a way for people to find relief during social distancing, it became clear how some communities lacked well-maintained and public green infrastructure.

As investments in urban planning prioritize green spaces, engineers work with nearby stakeholders to design for their wants and needs. These can range from seating and gathering spaces and playgrounds to providing neighborhood-level access to interconnected trail systems.

Responding to goals to provide recreation options that are inclusive of people of all abilities is a focus for parks facilities across the country. Design considerations may include pathways and play equipment accessible by assistive devices, as well as features that support needs for all ages.

Pleasant City Community Center

We don’t typically think of community centers as parks, but they can serve communities in similar ways. Our work to improve the historic Pleasant City Community Center in West Palm Beach included a new handicapped-accessible ramp to the main entrance to provide safe access to the important facility for all users in the community.

Renovation of the existing community center into a modern facility included a computer lab, a meeting/programming room, a game room, a dance studio/fitness room, a large multipurpose room, and other amenities. The revitalization of the building helped meet capacity requirements and provide a safe place for children and teens to congregate and participate in constructive, supervised activities.

Parks Economic Impact

The role of parks in community health and inclusivity extends beyond personal impacts. Investment in parks can be transformative for a municipality.

NRPA reports that “Local public park and recreation agencies in the United States generated more than $201 billion in economic activity and supported almost 1.1 million jobs that boosted labor income by more than $63 billion from their operations and capital spending in 2021.”

Parks are a quality-of-life benefit that is proven to attract homebuyers and, in turn, commerce. NRPA also reports that 87% of corporate executives responding to a 2023 area development survey rated quality-of-life features as an important factor when choosing a location for a headquarters, factory, or other company facility.

Royal Palm Beach Commons Park

Let’s take another look at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park, which I noted earlier. This project is an example of how one municipality chose to invest in redeveloping a defunct golf course into a 163.5-acre regional destination offering a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities. The park’s tourism potential was projected to draw visitors from well beyond the village’s 40,000 residents and serve as an important economic driver.

The will of the village’s leaders brought this vision to life. But it required significant planning and design. It took resolving environmental issues, designs intended to support aquatic plants, and designing for ambitious short- and long-term recreational uses.

The finished project included:

• A nine-hole golf course (currently being used for disc golf)
• Biking and hiking trails and kayaking
• A sports center with meeting space, shops, and a café
• A great lawn with picnic pavilions, playgrounds, and sand volleyball courts
• An interactive fountain

You can find out more about the Royal Palm Beach Commons Park project here.

Parks for All

The lessons learned from lockdown about the vital role of parks in our communities can shape how we approach public space design. Parks and recreation facilities are far more than amenities. They are essential infrastructure that supports physical health, mental well-being, social connection, and economic vitality.

Engineers, planners, and park users can partner to create recreational green spaces that serve diverse communities with thoughtful design, from accessible pathways to environmental mitigation.

As engineers, we help bring to life spaces where families make memories, neighbors connect, and visitors contribute to local economies. The air pump I found that April morning in 2020 opened the door to moments of joy—and that’s exactly what great park design can do for every community.

Dana Gillette is based at Erdman Anthony’s West Palm Beach, FL, office.

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