Park planning and design will

• Advance design as a larger community investment with the park as one component
• Emphasize people and relationships as core to sustainability.
• Inspire stewardship and exercise leadership through demonstration of sustainable practices;  allow parks to become classrooms of sustainable design
• Integrate responsible design and planning processes
• View stewardship holistically and embed conservation in all park philosophies and practices
• Include cultural, natural, and operational systems
• .

 This is important because

• Managing park resources to maximize resilience, optimize biodiversity, enhance habitat connectivity, makes healthy, vibrant ecosystems locally, regionally, nationally, globally.
• Sustainability embedded in all activities enhances community and stewardship.
• Thoughtful planning and design and sustainable places go are interrelated
• Implementing sustainable planning and design examples is the best public education

Core design considerations

• Understand what is really needed before a project starts
• Reuse wherever possible and practical.
• Consider fiscal realities - do no economic harm. But also aspire to the best possible solutions - fund raise if needed,.
• Identify and respect the limits of acceptable change.
• Use design to challenge partners and administrative operations to foster and develop innovative and green technologies.
• Design and build for multiple uses.
• Create flexible spaces
• Design for simplicity and ease of maintenance
• Aspire to a sustainable park system
• Always consider the spirit of place
• Be overt - green design should shine
• Build in climate change scenarios in each design

Outstanding Examples

TBD