NEWS RELEASES
NRPA Predicts Top Trends In 2019
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through The National Recreation and Parks Association's website.
The National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) released its annual predictions of trends affecting parks and recreational facilities in January. On the positive side, investments in state and local park infrastructure is on the rise, up 10 percent since last year. Among the changes ahead, the NRPA predicts pigs will join baby goats and cats on yoga mats across the country and eSports, with its 400 million participants, will provide a new revenue stream for recreation facilities. Dog parks will continue their climb as the fastest growing new facilities and many parks will be adding indoor facilities including trampoline centers, climbing facilities and multi-sports bubbles with turf-play areas inside.
Technology will make further inroads into parks, with beacon counters and geofencing providing improved location tracking of park visitors. Drones will become more accepted for many uses, including public safety missions, identifying and mapping rare plant communities and wildlife habitat, and improving public security.
On the more serious side, NRPA identifies several trends that will affect parks into the future. The opioid epidemic, with much drug abuse happening in public parks, will trigger an increase in employee training programs and changes in park design to improve sight lines near bathrooms, changes in the placement of benches, the installation of safety lighting and vandal-proof sharps containers. Recycling, a popular money-maker for many parks, will be on the decline. As part of the trade war with China, that country has banned imports of over two dozen categories of recyclable waste, removing most of the financial incentives for recycling programs.
To read the complete 2019 Top Trend list, visit the NRPA website.
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