...And What You Can Do About It.
There is not a single parks manager who doesn't see a way to improve any recreational facility. We see it all the time; the expensive maintenance costs of the new soccer field, the lack of available volunteers for new after-school gymnastics program, or the lack of available land to include the dog owners in a particular region. The fact is that no recreational facility is without its particular needs and none of them are perfect in every way.
Skateparks are a relative newcomer to the Parks & Recreation world and it can be difficult to sort out all of the voices with something to say about it. Attorneys deliver a list of policies and devices necessary to mitigate liability, planners have a short list of available sites appropriate for this kind of development (if at all), while the neighborhood delivers its own list of concerns about noise and nuisance. Meanwhile, the skateboarders are recreating in the streets and the business community is fed up with their ledges being ground down to nothing.
We're all familiar with the difficult environment in which skateparks are expected to become successes. It should come as no surprise that sometimes - if not often - they fail to meet everyone's expectations. Hope is not lost! There are still options even when it feels like every avenue has been explored.
Below is a list of the top 10 most common failures we've seen at skateparks and what can be done about them.
1. Not employing expert design assistance resulting in cookie-cutter facilities that don't meet the community's growing needs.
What's left is a skatepark that is not interesting to the users. These parks often fall into misuse because they're not respected. The only people that enjoy going there are those who need privacy. Skateboarders serious about learning new skills and challenging themselves are at the skatepark that is designed to accomodate their growing skills.
2. Thinking that the least controversial site is the BEST site.
When we allow those people who don't want to be involved with the skatepark decide where it goes, we end up with a skatepark that nobody wants to be involved with. Skaters have been subject to "least controversial" sites over and over...and these parks almost always fail on one or more fronts.
3. Relying on inexperienced builders that result in unengaging or dangerous flaws.
Well-meaning planners often spend the community's hard-earned money on a vendor or service-provider that does not understand the specific needs of the user. The end result is a skatepark that is flawed and sometimes dangerous. All the money that was saved was used for a facility that doesn't attract the intended users. Now the community gets to decide if they want to try expensive renovations, build a new park properly, or just leave the park empty and have their skaters return to the streets.
4. Underestimating the value of (and not planning for) the skatepark as a social space to the local youth.
Seating, shade structures, and other aspects of design that make the space comfortable and inviting are very important to the long-term health of the park. For many of the users, outside of school the skatepark is the primary social gathering place. If the facility understands and is designed to handle this social function, it will be that much better off.
5. Underestimating the amount of total space the local skaters will need to recreate safely.
When asked what planners would have done different about their skateparks, most say that they made them too small. Skateboarding is an activity that requires speed. Especially in street-style terrain it's very difficult to underestimate the amount of useful space.
6. Approaching skatepark control as a fight and not trusting that most skaters also want a clean, comfortable space to recreate.
Policy is too often decided in a vacuum without the users' input. The message to skaters is that the rules don't really apply since they're clearly out of touch with what skateboarding is about. When those rules aren't consistently enforced it exasperates the problem.
7. Receiving "expert skatepark advice" from a salesman, (or anyone else
who has no intention of ever USING the park, for that matter).
Objective advice shouldn't be taken from people with a financial interest in your decision. Instead, talk to skateboarders themselves. Poll other communities and talk with their skaters, not just Parks' administration. (Administration will often see an empty park as a successs since maintenance concerns and social issues are so low.) The best people to get skatepark advice from are those who have experienced and used many different skateparks.
8. Underfunding a low maintenance facility that is expected to meet
the needs for the entire local community.
Skateboarder numbers likely rival other
participation sport in the area and yet are often expected to recreate on a single, relatively tiny plot of land. While football and soccer fields are rarely expected to handle disparate users simultaneously, skateparks receive no programming support. It is impossible for these facilities to find harmony when they are being "used to death."
9. Thinking that small equates to beginner.
The height or depth of a structure does not always correlate directly to the structure's degree of difficulty. A tall ledge is more difficult to use than a short ledge, but a deep bowl with broad transitions is much easier to use than a shallow bowl with tight transition. Given the myriad of challenges that come with creating a successful skatepark, communities would be advised to avoid managing what elements are designated "beginner" and "advanced" and simply focus on creating a space that works for skateboarders.
10. Considering the skatepark process as a problem.
Embarking upon the process of creating a new skatepark is a great opportunity to embrace a popular and fascinating youth activity. The new park should be seen as a boon to the community that will be VERY popular with the youth. With proper planning and good decisions, the skatepark will be a landmark for the entire community. This is a rare and exciting opportunity.
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