Parks & Recreation

State Park Debuts Virtual Reality Hike

Table Rock State Park in South Carolina now provides a 5-minute virtual hike, offered for free at the park's visitor center to anyone who can't—or doesn't want to—walk the real thing.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

State Park Debuts Virtual Reality Hike

Table Rock State Park in South Carolina now provides a 5-minute virtual hike, offered for free at the park's visitor center to anyone who can't—or doesn't want to—walk the real thing.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram
Parks & Recreation

State Park Debuts Virtual Reality Hike

Table Rock State Park in South Carolina now provides a 5-minute virtual hike, offered for free at the park's visitor center to anyone who can't—or doesn't want to—walk the real thing.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Privatizing State Parks Can Save Them—or Wreck Them

States vary when it comes to allowing concessionaires on public land.

  • By Alex Brown, Stateline

Dollar Value of Outdoor Recreation For Each State Detailed in New Data

More states in recent years have been devoting special attention to the outdoor recreation economy. The figures help show its size.

  • By Bill Lucia

How and Why Parks Spur Gentrification in Cities

While green spaces are often linked to gentrification, new research shows certain types and characteristics of urban parks play a much greater role than others.

  • By Richard Florida, CityLab

Transit to the Trailhead: Bus Service in a Recreation Corridor Takes Off

Oregon’s Department of Transportation has seen strong demand among riders for buses that run between Portland and the Columbia River Gorge.

  • By Bill Lucia

Must Fancy City Parks Displace Their Neighbors?

A new report from UCLA and the University of Utah surveys strategies for “greening without gentrification.”

  • By Laura Bliss, CityLab

Envisioning What’s Next for a Dead Stretch of Downtown Freeway

Akron’s planning director says there’s a chance that what’s now a “concrete trench” could one day become a park.

  • By Bill Lucia

It's Getting Too Damn Hot to Have Fun in the Summer

An environmental economist explains how climate change and extreme weather could mean summer is no longer the peak season for festivals and outdoor recreation.

  • By Linda Poon, CityLab

Can Parks Help Cities Fight Crime?

The short answer: It depends on the park.

  • By Lincoln Larson and S. Scott Ogletree, The Conversation

Ranking America's Small and Large Cities

Washington D.C. jumped six spots in this year's America's Best Cities rankings, which judge cities on 23 metrics sorted into six categories.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Ranking the Country's Parks

Washington, D.C. dethroned three-time defending champ Minneapolis in the latest version of the ParkScore index, released this week by the Trust for Public Land.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

The Sounds of State Parks—on Spotify

Michigan's tourism arm will drop an album this month of ambient music layered with sound recordings from 10 state parks.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Featured eBooks

Cyber Threats: Preparing States and Localities
Disaster Recovery and Resilience
Issues in City and County Management

America’s Management of Urban Forests Has Room for Improvement

A new survey finds that urban forests could benefit from better data on climate change and pests and a focus on social equity.

  • By Amanda Kolson Hurley, CityLab

The Inequality of Parks and Green Space

New research finds that income, education, and race are correlated with access to green space across and within U.S. metro areas. But some cities are more equitable than others.

  • By Richard Florida, CityLab

Small Bikeshare System to Launch in an Unexpected Place

Wheeling, West Virginia looks to leverage its local network of bike trails.

  • By Michael Grass

Paying the Homeless to Clean Up City Parks

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Civil asset forfeiture reform bills … New Orleans short-term rental restrictions … and Oregon roadkill consumption rules.

  • By Michael Grass

City Leader Wants Residents to Try Balancing the Parks and Rec Budget

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Federal shutdown delays hurricane recovery funds … another Flint water crisis plea deal …. and confusion comes with Conn. town’s pay-per-bag trash collection proposal.

  • By Michael Grass

A New Placemaking Center to Guide Changing Demographics and Technology

Brookings Institutions’ Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking wants to connect more residents to opportunities using cutting-edge development practices, tools and policies.

  • By Dave Nyczepir

How One Parks Department Created a Mobile Playground

Baton Rouge's parks agency wanted to get kids moving to combat youth obesity.

  • By Christine Vestal

When the Honors System Short-Changes State Parks

An audit found that one-third of park visitors in this state didn’t pay an entrance fee.

  • By Michael Grass

How a Midsize U.S. City Is Preparing to Host One of the World’s Largest Sporting Events

The IAAF track-and-field world championships are still three years away. Local officials in Eugene, Oregon may be “slightly nervous” but are embracing an “opportunity to really shine.”

  • By Michael Grass