Parks provide many benefits, including recreation, public health, economic development, climate resilience, ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, and community well-being. This webinar introduces participants to contemporary frameworks for understanding the value of parks, including anthropocentric, biocentric, and pluricentric perspectives on human-nature relationships. It will explore this multiplicity of park benefits, from recreation and tourism to health, ecosystem services, and even values to non-users, and introduces the major economic valuation methods used to estimate them. Drawing on hypothetical case studies, participants will learn how valuation evidence can support park planning, investment, conservation, and management decisions.

Through hundreds of conversations with parks and recreation professionals and agency leaders nationwide, the RecLess team has developed a broad view of the trends, innovations, and emerging priorities influencing the future of the profession. These insights provide a unique lens into how agencies are evolving to meet changing community needs, enhance user experiences, and create more impactful parks, programs, and public spaces. Tom Norquist will add perspective from his work with PlayCore and the Auburn University Research and Innovation Center, where research, innovation, and industry collaboration help shape new ideas and opportunities for parks and recreation agencies.

Virginia Burt, FCSLA, FASLA, will explore how accessible landscape architecture can move beyond baseline compliance to create outdoor environments where people of all abilities feel welcomed, supported, and able to participate fully. Through a practical, people-centered lens, Virginia will examine how site planning, sensory-rich design, material selection, circulation, and maintenance can work together to foster belonging across parks, playgrounds, public spaces, and community landscapes. This presentation is brought to you in partnership with the Landscape Architecture Foundation.