kaboomben

Great post and advice from a Playmaker who's really making a difference - both online and on-the-ground in SoCal

Really liking the new website - welcome to KaBOOM!

As we end the week, here's some wonderful thoughts from the newly announced 2010 Playful City USA network, about why play matters in their community and what motivates them to take action. Enjoy!

"Well I think the healthier Tupelo begins with getting people active. We have to get people active and the primary focus is to start at an early age," says Don Lewis, director of Tupelo Parks & Recreation. (Tupelo, MS) - WTVA.Com

We're seeking this because we've been cited as one of the more obese communities in the nation; parks Deputy Director Perry Ehresman said. "Obviously, as kids stay active and have opportunities to stay active, that will reduce the obesity in the community." (Fort Wayne, IN - Journal Gazette)

"This is another indicator of excellence in our parks and recreation programs, and I am very proud that Killeen is being recognized nationally for our commitment to providing an outstanding quality of life for our youth," says City Manager Connie Green. "It is a tremendous honor to be named a Playful City USA again this year." (Killeen, TX - www.ci.killeen.tx.us)

Emmy Sasala, chairwoman of the Bring On Play committee, said the recognition is important to the committee for several reasons. "Our mission is to renovate a playground at a park each year. But we also want people to know that we are playmakers in the community," Sasala said. "Hopefully as we continue to grow we're not just recognized as the group who builds the playgrounds, but also as the group who gets the community involved." (York, PA - The York Dispatch)

The train reminds me of this playground

http://playspacefinder.kaboom.org/playspaces/27507-wheaton-regional-park

How do you define walking distance?

The official KaBOOM! vision statement is “a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America”, but what’s walking distance?  Here’s a bunch of citations and ideas we collected (below), but who’s right?  Is there a right distance?

I’d love to hear from your academic side (feel free to share links, favorite books, etc.) and your personal opinion (“I get tired when…”, “this far is to far”, etc.).

Here’s what they say, what do you say?    

29% of cities recognized as 2009 Playful City USA communities define “walking distance” as .5 mile – the predominant response

The godfather of New Urbanism, Andres Duany, says walking distance is usually less than .5 mile in his book Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream

Transit Planners suggest “…a quarter mile walking distance is a good rule of thumb for transit planning.”

This paper says “the neighborhood is limited to an area approximating a 5- to 10-minute walk from center to edge, ensuring that all neighborhood activities are within convenient walking distance of residents.” (http://www.mi.vt.edu/data/files/hpd%2011(4)/hpd%2011(4)_bohl.pdf)

"The future of our city depends on our taking the appropriate action now. We must ensure that all New Yorkers live within a ten-minute walk of a park or playground." - New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (a 2008 and 2009 Playful City USA community)

St. Petersburg’s Play N' Close to Home program, developed and led by Mayor Rick Baker pledged to locate a public playground within one-half mile of every resident in the city as part of this initiative.  (a 2008 and 2009 Playful City USA community)

If you haven't already, be sure to join the Playmaker discussion group!

(photo courtesy flickr.com/people/takomabibelot)

• Compromise and Newman
• Marvin Gaye Park Playground

Thought I'd try something new, and share some of the topics that are top-of-mind for me and my work at KaBOOM!.  I'll only promise that this will be semi-regular and occassionally interesting (setting you up for a classic under-promise, over-deliver scenario...but if I'm alluding to over-delivering, then does it make my initial intent void???)

Anyways, some of the things I'd love to stir up:

Darell's blog on Huffington Post was a big deal here on Friday afternoon.  It was hard to find when you went to the site homepage, however, as they pump out a ton of content.  I thought he covered a lot of the important points you need to start a conversation with those less well versed in the power of play.  And included a Play Day call-out to a whole new audience.  Anyone new to the site after reading this blog?

Playful City USA and the stream of local announcements and press has been really exciting, especially with local Op-Eds in York, PA and San Bernardino - where the Mayors both issued a call to action and to play.  What's keeping your city from being added to the list?  Have you tried to talk to a City Council person or Parks and Rec staffer about the program?

I'm working right now, on my presentation for this conference of the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools called: The Power of Change.   (I'm talking mostly about how joint-use is a powerful tool to bring synergy and collaboration to schools and the surrounding community). If you had 20 minutes to talk to a group of Department of Education grantees and community leaders about play, what would you say? 

That's it for now, slide-on!

Have you been successful at doing something similar to this?

From the Chatham (Va.) Star-Tribune, February 18, 2009: 

DANVILLE -- Danville Parks, Recreation and Tourism last week recognized URW Community Federal Credit Union with a "Partner in Play" award.

Bill Sgrinia, director of the city's recreation department, was on hand Thursday morning at URW along with assistant tourism director Heather Vipperman to present the award.

Danville was recently designated as a 2008 Playful City USA Community, and recognized URW as a valuable partner in efforts to help create a desirable quality of life for all citizens in the Danville region.

Playful City USA is a national recognition program that honors cities and towns across the nation that put their children's well being first by recognizing and harnessing the power of play.

The "Partner in Play" award is given only to individuals and organizations that continually go above and beyond their call in supporting the recreation department, said Sgrinia.

On hand to receive the award were Sherry Moore, office manager for URW, and Suzie Bohannon, collections manager. "URW Community Federal Credit Union would like to express thanks to the city of Danville and the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department for recognizing our efforts to be good corporate citizens," said Cheryl Doss, chief executive officer of the credit union.

"We consider ourselves fortunate to have the opportunity to serve our members, both adults and children, and to be able to give back to a community that has served us well.

"We are truly proud to be considered a Partner in Play with the city of Danville, and look forward to continuing to play a significant role in the development of our community and region."