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Recent Articles
- “Underexposed” in the Public Eye: Amelia Brodka Interview
- 2012 Skateboarding Fatalities
- Replacing Modular Parks with Concrete
- The Skatepark Bid Process
- Sample RFP for a Skatepark Bid (Replacing a Modular Skatepark)
- Stand Up For Skateparks
- Just Say NO To Modular Skateparks
- An Interview with Ty Smith: Drop Into Skateboarding
- Putting Wenatchee on the Map!
- Skateparks $100K and Under
- Art of Board and I Ride I Recycle – The Bruce Boul Interview
- 2011 Skateboarding Fatalities
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Tips for Beginners Archive
30 Reasons
There are lots of great reasons for building your next skatepark. Here are just 30 of them.
Public Meeting FAQ
The first few public meetings for new advocates are often frightening. One expects that the audience will be filled with neighbors and concerned citizens with an endless supply of challenging questions about the idea of a new skatepark. While that is sometimes true—neighbors will probably have questions—the reality is that they’re not out to crucify you. They understand why you’re there and that you mean well....
Freedom of Space
“You—skateboarders—are the leading edge of a revolution of the human being’s relation to his or her environment.” —Edmund Bacon
Sample Request for Donation Letter
A request for donation asks for donations. The donation desired might be cash, product, services, or volunteer hours, or something else entirely. Once you have developed a good request letter you may use it again and again. Requests for Donation letters tend to follow a similar pattern. It’s a good idea to stick to this tried-and-true formula. Keep your letter formal and to the point. Communicate...
10 Tips for Beginners
People new to advocacy and community activism are sometimes overwhelmed with the scope of it all. With time and practice it becomes much easier. Lots of people catch the “advocacy bug” and enjoy the myriad details. For newcomers, however, the process can seem daunting. Establishing a few good habits early on will help make your skatepark project a great experience. 1. Be persistent The skatepark process...
Tips for Understanding Local Government
Figuring out how your local government works and who you will want to talk to about a new skatepark can be confusing for people who haven’t done it before. Thankfully it’s not as confusing as it might seem. How the new skatepark is approved will largely be determined by the agency (or agencies) that own the land, will plan and manage its creation, and will maintain...
Tips for First-Time Advocates
If you are new to skatepark advocacy, here are a few pointers that will set you on the right path immediately.
2009 SPS Presentation
You may have the opportunity to deliver a presentation on skatepark development to your community. At Skaters for Public Skateparks we encounter the same thing on a national level and we never pass on a chance to share our opinions on design and development. We’ve gone through the hard work of putting together a pretty good presentation on skateparks and we’re offering it to you to...
Top 10 Design Mistakes
If we had our way there would never be any design mistakes. With a little planning and some luck you will never face any of these problems. We asked SPS contributors for the most common design mistakes. Here they are! 1. Not employing expert design assistance and relying on “turn-key” skatepark providers. The results are unimaginative, cookie-cutter facilities that don’t meet the community’s sophisticated needs. 2....
We need a skatepark! Where do we begin?
Whether you’re a community activist or facing a passionate group of constituents, you recognize that skateboarders in your area need safe places to recreate. What you do with that knowledge could mean the difference between a incredible new facility that the community is proud of or something that falls far short of that. Going into the skatepark development process with a good grasp of the kinds...