Parks and recreation are resources and services provided for the purposes of leisure, entertainment and recreational pursuits . . . . Resources may be public spaces and facilities like parks, nature preserves, open space areas, greenways , trails, and built structures for sport, recreation or arts programs. Examples of services include recreation activity programs, athletic leagues, special events, arts programs, and environmental education programs.

National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)

At Wildside Associates, we offer our clients a complete range of professional park and recreation services for communities of any size.  With over 25 years of experience in all aspects of parks and recreation planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance we are uniquely qualified to assist you with:

  • Park Planning and Design
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    Park design at Wildside Associates is unique for each project. We will work with you to develop a set of goals and objectives for the use of the park, and then work to achieve the best fit with the site’s features by performing an extensive analysis of your project site including soils, topography, existing vegetation, hydrology, micro-climates, surrounding land use and patterns of ownership, built and green infrastructure. We believe that even an athletic complex is enhanced by drawing on local landscape patterns, colors and forms. Our goal is to end up with parks that your community will be proud of and find renewal as well as recreation in.
  • Community Parks and Recreation Master Planning  (short- and long-range)
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    We all know that America is suffering from an Obesity Epidemic. According to the National Centers for Disease Control 2/3 of adult Americans and 1/5 of children are obese. Just as troubling is the increased incidence of Nature Deficit Disorder, described here by the No Child Left Inside Coalition:

    The term “nature-deficit disorder” was coined by author Richard Louv in his book “Last Child in the Woods” to describe what happens to young people who become disconnected from their natural world. Louv links this lack of nature to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression.

    Providing viable recreation programming and opportunities for active leisure activities in our communities such as walking, bicycling and other forms of outdoor recreation are vital for the health of our children, ourselves, and our nation.

  • Park Operations, Management and Maintenance – Planning and Audits
  • Park & Recreation Facility Evaluation & Renovation Planning
  • Natural Areas Planning, Restoration, and Management
  • Green Infrastructure Inventory and Planning
  • Trails, Parkways and Greenways – Planning and Design
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    Greenspace planning and design as practiced by Wildside Associates seeks to preserve or create glimpses into the native landscape to enhance our everyday lives. Many of these green spaces are places you drive by on the way to work or only see in the background from your office window. Some are parks. Others separate one type of land use from another, such as residential from commercial or industrial developments. Green spaces can create the shapes that our communities occupy. They can help maintain local landscape continuity and provide corridors for wildlife migration from the woods and streams through the suburbs into the heart of downtown. They can be Greenways along streams, lakeshores, ridgelines, roadways, bike paths and other linear landscape features.  Of course, we advocate native landscaping or ecological restoration for green spaces as well!
  • Community Entryways Enhancement
  • Interpretive Planning and Signage
  • Special Events
  • Historic Landscape Restoration
  • Wildlife Habitat In Parks & Urban Areas
  • Outdoor Recreation Planning
  • Urban Horticulture Issues and Urban Forestry
  • Athletic Fields and Complexes
  • Turf Grass Evaluation and Management Plans
  • Fundraising and Revenue Management
    • Grants Research and Application Preparation
    • Fundraising Planning
    • Enterprise Funds
  • Staff Training
  • Public Relations (including facilitating community meetings, writing for various media, community surveys, direct contacts with community leaders and key players, development of web sites, brochures, press releases, and other promotional materials.)

    • Scientific research from around the world continues to confirm what philosophers and poets have always accepted as a given. Human beings need constant contact with the natural world in order to be happy, healthy and productive. Hospitals know that patients recuperate faster when they have a view of a green landscape from their beds. Corporations know that their employees are more creative and productive in a setting that allows them to look out the window at trees and flowers rather than concrete and steel. Every ranking of “Best Cities” in every magazine or blog spends a good chunk of their time talking about the great parks and recreation opportunities (or the lack of them) in their rankings.

    There are no great communities without great parks!

    Past Projects

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