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Wednesday, 19 September 2007 |
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Page 8 of 22
SECTION 2: SKATEPARK DESIGN
Guidelines For The Rest Of Us
Skatepark design is as esoteric and specialized as it sounds. What does the skatepark designer actually design? What don’t they design? How do they see skateparks differently than everyone else? How do skatepark advocates and the cities they are partnered with know who is reputable? What can go wrong?
Skatepark design is often part of the larger park master planning process. Resident skatepark experts must be involved during this critical stage in development.
Skatepark design opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. The groups invested in the skatepark begin to leave the comfort of systems and processes and enter the domain of artistic creation. In many ways the community is depending on the skatepark designer to deliver on the promise that skatepark proponents have been promising for years. Now is no time for mistakes.
The local advocacy group by now should be properly formed into a steering committee of some sort with members representing each stakeholder entity: Skaters, City and/or Parks, and ordinary citizens. This steering committee will be instrumental in conveying their vision to the skatepark designer.
Design is, in itself, a bit of a mystery. When a designer sits down with a task he or she knows what tools and materials are available. What they don’t know is the problem; that’s where the skatepark committee comes in. At a series of meetings the designer delivers a skatepark design, each review cycle producing a result that is closer and closer to meeting all of the requirements set forth by the steering committee. Different designers will bring different skills and experience to the task as well, so choosing the right designer for the type of problem your community has is critical to a successful and sustainable facility.
The first challenge posed to the skatepark designer is that the community needs a skatepark. That’s the broadest and simplest of problems. If this were the extent of the problem the community would be pleased to see the designer’s product: A 70,000 square foot skatepark with copious terrain of every imaginable shape and scale and lights, an enormous retractable roof, and so forth. For all but the most dedicated and wealthy municipalities, a solution like this is simply out of reach.
The designer must work towards the solution – a new skatepark—with particular constraints. The constraints are defined by the steering committee and will certainly be influenced by available funds. Money is the most powerful limitation. Land, services, materials and equipment all cost money and no money means no skatepark. The steering committee then needs to convey even a smaller degree of need; how should that money be distributed? Is one central skatepark preferred over several smaller ones? Should the skatepark utilize premium materials at the expense of size or number of obstacles? These considerations should be conveyed through whatever documentation might have been drafted by the advocacy group or the steering committee regarding their vision for the skatepark.
One predicament that often occurs at this critical juncture is a general sense of fatigue and impatience. The funds have been acquired, the site (or sites) has been reserved, and those advocates who started off several years ago gathering signatures at the local skate shop are now seasoned navigators at City Hall. There will be temptations at this stage that exploit ignorance and capitalize on impatience. Salespeople will emerge, long watching the community’s progress from the news feeds, ready to offer inexpensive solutions and/or grand promises. These peddlers may be playground salespeople, landscape architects, or even dedicated skatepark designers. Only you know what’s right for your community, and many communities make miscalculations at this critical stage and end up with skateparks that do not serve any group within the community. This tragedy is frequent and it’s up to those stakeholders to ensure that they’re protected from the allure of quick fixes and latchkey solutions by being educated and fully aware of their options.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 February 2008 )
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