Community Parks & Recreation: An Introduction

Over the past 150 years, communities have focused their attention on enhancing quality of life, health and wellness, and the greening of their environments through the provision of park and recreation services and amenities. The greening and beautification of communities as well as tying recreation services to clean economic development provide a direct connection between the work public park and recreation departments and community development. This text asks students to consider important questions, such as: What are the most important elements of a livable community? In what type of community they would like to live? How important are building social connections amongst family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and others? How are such relationships developed and sustained? What types of organizations are more likely to create such opportunities for building ones social capital? What agencies in the community are concerned with addressing environmental degradation and on the flipside enhancing community beautification and greening? All of these questions point toward the importance of public parks and recreation and its community development efforts. Community Parks & Recreation: An Introduction is organized into three major parts. Part I focuses on the History and Philosophical Foundations of Public Parks and Recreation. The major intent of this section is to provide an underpinning to assist the student in understanding the major dimensions of public parks and recreation and its impact socially, culturally, environmentally and economically. Part II of the book focuses on Managerial and Administrative Aspects of Park and Recreation Systems. This section of the book provides practical strategies for administrative activities, planning, marketing, budgeting, engaging the public and land acquisition. Part III of the book is focused on The Public Sector Service Provision in Parks and Recreation. This section of the book focuses on program and service delivery including chapters dealing with programming for community recreation, youth programming, programming for adults and seniors, programming special events and community-based therapeutic recreation. The authors of this text all share a deep interest in community, parks, and/or recreation services. At various times in their careers, they have have served as playground leaders, recreation specialists, youth leaders, community therapeutic recreation specialists, recreation center directors, recreation supervisors and/or directors of parks and recreation. The authors hold a strong commitment to community parks and recreation that is clearly reflected in this new text.

Christopher R. Edginton is the R.J. McElroy Professor of Youth Leadership Studies, School of Kinesiology, Allied Health, and Human Services at the University of Northern Iowa. From 1991-2010, he served as professor and director of the School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services. In 1985, he founded the nationally award-winning Camp Adventure Child & Youth Services program. Since its inception, the program has provided contracted services for children and youth worldwide. From 20042014, he served as secretary general of the World Leisure Organization, a nongovernmental organization operating in consultative status with The United Nations. He is the cofounder of the Global Forum for Physical Education Pedagogy (GoFPEP), a worldwide social movement aimed at rethinking, reframing, and refocusing physical education pedagogy and the training of health and physical education teachers. Edginton has authored over 350 articles, over 30 books, and over 30 chapters in books. He has been identified as the leading proponent of the application of contemporary management concepts in the park and recreation field.

Samuel V. Lankford is the interim associate dean of the College of Health and Human Services, and was professor and chair (20142017), Department of Recreation Administration at CSU Fresno. Formerly he served as a professor and doctoral program coordination in Health, Physical Education, and Leisure Services and the director of the Sustainable Tourism and the Environment Program at the University of Northern Iowa. He has a PhD with a focus in recreation planning and development and a master of urban and regional planning from the University of Oregon. He holds a master of arts in recreation and park planning and a BA in geography from CSU Chico. Dr. Lankford worked as the youth director for 8th U.S. Army Korea and also worked as a consultant for morale, welfare, and recreation organizations in Asia/Pacific. Dr. Lankford has been a practicing planner in both staff and consulting roles in California, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, and Hawaii. He has completed master plans and comprehensive plans for parks and recreation, needs assessments, community impact studies, carrying capacity studies, and market research in those states and other countries. He specializes in tourism and recreation development. Dr. Lankford participates in Ask the Author, a Sagamore initiative that enables professors who adopt titles to communicate with the author and really understand what the book is about and how any ancillaries are intended to be used.

Christopher L. Kowalski is an associate professor, Kinesiology, Allied Health, and Human Services at the University of Northern Iowa. He joined the faculty of the Division of Leisure, Youth & Human Services in 2000. He also serves as a research coordinator for the Sustainable Tourism and Environment Program at the University of Northern Iowa. He holds a doctorate from the University of Northern Iowa, a master of science in recreation management from the University of Idaho, and a BA in psychology, sociology, and criminal justice from Creighton University (Nebraska). He has supervised community and youth recreation programs for over 20 years in Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas, as well as abroad in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His research interests are coaching, youth leadership, and self-efficacy in the recreation field.