As climate change accelerates, cities must embrace water as a resource rather than a challenge. This session features Kotchakorn Voraakhom (Thailand) and Herbert Dreiseitl (Germany), two global leaders in landscape architecture redefining urban water management. Voraakhom explores Bangkok’s flood resilience and water governance, while Dreiseitl shares his visionary approach to blue-green infrastructure and climate-adaptive design. Through compelling case studies, this session highlights how nature-based solutions can transform cities into more resilient, sustainable environments. PlayCore is honored to partner with The Cultural Landscape Foundation on this series, showcasing the critical role of landscape architecture in connecting people to places.

As climate change accelerates, urban flooding and water mismanagement pose significant challenges for cities worldwide. This session explores innovative, nature-based solutions from three global leaders in landscape architecture—Kongjian Yu (China), Jasper Jugtenburg (Netherlands)​, and Mia Lehrer (United States). Learn how the "sponge cities" concept, blue-green infrastructure, and adaptive urban design can transform water from a threat into a resource.Through groundbreaking case studies and visionary design approaches, this session will reveal how landscape architects can shape more resilient, sustainable, and water-conscious cities. Join us for an inspiring discussion on designing with water, rethinking infrastructure, and creating the next generation of climate-adaptive urban environments. Playcore is honored to partner with The Cultural Landscape Foundation on this series as they continue to set the bar and produce beautiful content that highlights the importance of Landscape Architecture and its critical role in connecting people to places.

The Unleashed: Off-leash Dog Park Design Trends and Planning Tips guidebook helps communities effectively advocate for the many benefits of off-leash dog parks. Dog parks provide enjoyable ways to recreate and exercise for both dog owners and their dogs. They also create community destinations. Research shows there are many positive effects for individuals that own a dog(s); as well as health and social benefits of owning a dog, caring for it, and recreating outdoors with pets. In addition, design considerations and case study examples are outlined to effectively design a dog park and champion initiatives that provide meaningful outcomes supporting overall health and social benefits for the community.

In order to ensure equitable use by all, aquatic agencies and facilities must understand, embrace and respond to inclusive guidelines and programming, align to community needs, and implement innovative ways to offer environments that serve diverse individuals. This session will explore evidence-based health benefits of water immersion, share meaningful facility design strategies, and review ADA and ABA guidelines to make your facility a place for everyBODY to enjoy.

Join us for our "Summer Programming Survival Guide" webinar, designed to equip park and recreation professionals with essential strategies for a successful summer season. This engaging session will cover best practices for summer planning, leadership techniques with a social equity focus, and methods to prevent burnout. Additionally, discover creative ideas to celebrate Parks and Recreation Month and ensure your community enjoys a memorable and inclusive summer.

Ensuring inclusion, regardless of age or ability, to independently participate in a wide range of recreation facilities is the goal of the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Adopted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) the standards establish minimum accessibility requirements for all new construction or alterations of existing recreational facilities after March 15, 2012. The standards apply to state and local government facilities covered by title II and places of public accommodation covered by title III. This session will go beyond the minimum requirements of the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design for recreation facilities including considerations for surfacing, site amenities, site arrival points, outdoor inclusive fitness equipment, play areas, and much more. Attendees will develop a better understanding of the features that make a park or play area inclusive for everyone. The session will provide tools and resources to help evaluate the level of compliance of existing recreation facilities. This webinar includes real-time captioning and video remote interpreting (VRI) upon request. To request video interpreting services, please email core@playcore.com at least two weeks prior to the webinar date.

Sustainable maintenance programs are essential to positive outdoor play experiences for children at their school and community playgrounds. This year, National Playground Safety Week is observed on April 22-25, and this webinar is designed to create awareness, maximize the value of playground investments, and create safer outdoor play destinations that promote healthy risk-taking and fun! Routine maintenance and visual inspections are key to preserving play and recreation environments, and properly identifying and addressing potentially hazardous conditions supports safer opportunities to engage in the lifelong benefits of play.

The Youth Engagement and Action for Health (YEAH!) project works nationally with African American, American Indian, Latino, Asian, and Pacific Islander lower-income urban/rural middle schoolers to take an in-depth look at their neighborhood’s strengths and weaknesses that are most likely to affect physical activity. Using a group-based program curriculum that is designed to help youth advocate for policy/environmental changes that promote physical activity, youth collect information through small groups and are taught to set priorities for improvements around problems they identify.

The webinar contains examples and tangible steps to implementing Play Streets in any community as well as case studies illustrating how each of our four community partners created and implemented Play Streets.

Join us for an insightful webinar discussing the intricate landscape of securing funding within municipal governments. We'll explore the complexities of government structures, the nuances of agency contracting processes, and the potential pitfalls along the way. Discover why adopting innovative approaches is crucial and explore alternative contracting methods to mitigate risks. Uncover the importance of understanding funding source deadlines and leveraging community health and wellness data to strengthen proposals. Gain invaluable insights into maximizing funding opportunities while ensuring the well-being of your community.