News - Park Board approves plan - Park Board approves plan

    The new comprehensive plan articulates park system’s vision and goals through 2020 as well as the strategies to realize the vision and achieve the goals. It will help the MPRB keep pace with an evolving city, develop sound partnerships, manage its resources, and provide needed park and recreation services for the benefit of individuals, communities and the environment.

    Last fall the MPRB launched a process that gave city residents, park users and local officials the opportunity to share their thoughts about the community’s park and recreation needs. The process included a questionnaire mailed to 172,300 Minneapolis households, town meetings, focus groups, appointed community leader workshops and phone survey. Information was incorporated into a draft comprehensive plan which was available for public review this past summer. The MPRB held several public meetings to solicit community feedback on the draft before the plan was finalized and presented to the Board of Commissioners in October.

    The Minneapolis park system receives 18 million visits each year. In recent decades, much of what has been accomplished has been driven by findings of the Brightbill Study, a 1965 comprehensive analysis of the park system. Today, the city is much different than it was in 1965; communities are far more diverse, technology has exploded, new sports have gained prominence, public expectations have changed and the funding climate has grown more challenging. The comprehensive plan and the organization’s commitment to implementing it ensure the Minneapolis park system will continue to be essential to quality of life, and play a vital part in supporting the health and well-being of Minneapolis residents, visitors and workers.