If you’re reading this, then you must have decided to undertake the nothing-short-of-overwhelming task of building a public park. There’s no denying that it’s a huge responsibility, but the hassle that comes with this endeavor is a small price to pay in exchange for bringing joy to the community.

Because such pressure can make you lose track of certain details, we thought having a comprehensive list of the most important details will help you out. So, without further ado, here’s what you need to remember when designing a public park.

Location is Everything

Before designing a public park, you need to consider the location in which it’ll be built for a few simple reasons. An area where the crime rates are high means that your park might be unsafe at night. It also means that there’s a high chance for your brand new playground equipment to get damaged quite fast. Other than that, some areas are too far away from public transport and others aren’t even close to apartment buildings. The bottom line is, you’ve got to mindfully pick the location of your park. While an area might desperately need a park, you’ve got to consider whether or not you can handle such a responsibility.

Accessibility

The rule of thumb here is quite basic. If they can’t access your park, they can’t enjoy it. A large part of your effort should be dedicated to making your park as accessible as possible for all people, abled and disabled. By providing paved, unobstructed pathways, ground-level playing equipment, and platforms, and braille reading signs and panels, you’d be making sure that your park can be enjoyed by all. Granted, some specialized equipment might be expensive, but that’s one area where the community support will help you get the budget you need.

Know the Community

Establishing a relationship with the community where you’re building a park is essential to the success of your park on two levels. When getting your project and its budget approved, having the support of the local community behind you is integral for the process to go on smoothly. Keep in mind that if you’re a stranger to the community hoping to make a change without informing the people who live there, you’re quite likely to be met with much opposition. Community relations can also affect the success of your park if you listen to their input regarding the park’s design. Ultimately, you’re designing the park for them to benefit from. What better way to ensure their satisfaction than by directly fulfilling their needs.

Comfort

Unless you’re strictly out on a run or a stroll, if you’re visiting a park, you’re guaranteed to sit down at some point during your visit. Not to mention, many people visit parks just to relax after a busy day, people-watch or have a meal in the open air. This makes comfort a detail worthy of being taken into consideration. It can be as simple as installing metal benches around playgrounds, lakes, and certain pathways. Keep in mind, though, that you’ve got to pick a bench that is practical and comfortable. If the park is located in a cold area, for instance, wood might be a better choice than metal for you. Nevertheless, if it constantly rains, you’d be risking the wood rotting.

Activities

A park that offers no activities might attract some people, but why would you want to exclude the majority of the public when designing a public park? Aside from asking the people in the community about their wants and needs, you’ve got to include some park basics. For one, the reason we’ve been talking about playgrounds and picnic areas as if they were a given is that they are. A designated pet area is also a great idea. Many dog owners like to let their animals off-leash since it’s healthy for a dog to engage in free play with other dogs.

Appearance

A park should be relaxing and easy on the eyes, like a piece of motel art, except much better looking. On one hand, you want your park to have plenty of trees and plants, but on the other hand, you don’t want it to look too green. For best results, use planning software to play with the contrast between greenery, concrete, and water spaces. It’s guaranteed to help you visualize your ideas, improve on them, and completely eliminate what works and what doesn’t.
Having read all of the above, you should now be ready to get your project going, and for that, you should be proud. Designing a public park is no small feat as we’ve mentioned earlier, and you will face your share of challenges along the way, but when you do, think back to the moment where you decided to take on this project. The moment of excitement that propelled forward can be your drive.