Ways to Advocate:

Connect with your neighbors, other city residents, and supportive organizations: Do others share your concerns?  Get the conversation going about the issues you care about.  Talk with neighbors to understand the history of your neighborhood’s park and your community’s recreational needs.

Serve on the Durham Recreation Advisory Commission: Durham has many boards, committees, and commissions that residents can serve on.  See a listing and applications here: http://durhamnc.gov/ich/cco/Pages/Boards,-Committees-and-Commissions.aspx

Durham has a Recreation Advisory Commission (RAC) that holds meetings once a month: http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/parks/recreation_advisory_commission.cfm.

Email and/or set up a meeting with a city staff member

Attend or speak at a Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting: The RAC currently meetings every 2^nd Wednesday of the month.  Any resident is welcome to sit in on these meetings.  Contact: lynda.kozar@durhamnc.gov, 919-560-4355

Raise a concern at City Council: Request to speak to City Council during a City Council work session, held on certain Thursdays.  Requests must be submitted 10 days prior to the work session in order to speak during “Citizen Matters,” which starts at 1pm. http://durhamnc.gov/ich/cc/Pages/request_to_appear.aspx

Sources of Information:

Racial Equity Impact Assessment Toolkit (Created by the Applied Research Center, www.arc.org)

“A Racial Equity Impact Assessment (REIA) is a systematic examination of how different racial and ethnic groups will likely be affected by a proposed action or decision. REIAs are used to minimize unanticipated adverse consequences in a variety of contexts, including the analysis of proposed policies, institutional practices, programs, plans and budgetary decisions. The REIA can be a vital tool for preventing institutional racism and for identifying new options to remedy long-standing inequities.” The REIA toolkit is downloadable here: http://www.arc.org/content/view/744/167/

Racial Equity Impact Assessments for Economic Policies and Budgets (Created by the Applied Research Center, www.arc.org)

“Economic policies and public spending and revenue decisions have enormous impacts—positive and negative—on different racial and ethnic groups. A Racial Equity Impact Assessment is a conscious and careful analysis of the effects of public decisions on different racial and ethnic groups. Conducting a Racial Equity Impact Assessment is a useful tool for assessing the actual or anticipated effects of public policies and budgets in order to identify ways to maximize equity and inclusion and minimize adverse and unanticipated impacts.” The REIA toolkit is downloadable here: http://www.arc.org/content/view/743/167

Browse information on your Department of Parks and Recreation Website: Durham Parks and Recreation: http://durhamnc.gov/ich/op/prd/Pages/Home.aspx

Public Records: The city is required to keep public records.  This is a wealth of information, and as a resident, you have the right to receive information in the public record.  Any information in the “public record” can be requested of any city staff member.  This includes meeting minutes, emails, documents, etc.  For more information on public records: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bychapter/chapter_132.html

Recreation Resources Service: http://cnr.ncsu.edu/rrs/: RRS is the nation’s oldest technical assistance program for parks and recreation agencies in North Carolina. RRS provides technical assistance, applied research, and continuing education for the state. RRS concentrates on four types of service:

• Technical assistance
• Field administration for the Land & Water Conservation Fund and the Park & Recreation Trust Fund
• Applied research and continuing education.

North Carolina Municipal and County Parks and Recreation Services Study (MCPRSS): These reports contain useful data , including operating and capital budgets for Parks and Recreation departments across the state.  Recreation Resources Service (RRS) conducts the MCPRSS each year to determine the current fiscal status of local government parks and recreation departments in North Carolina.  Each year’s reports are available online: http://cnr.ncsu.edu/rrs/services_study.html

Durham Park Locator: http://www.durhamnc.gov/gis_apps/parkapp/mainmap.cfm: Search by the name of the park or the amenity sought.

Play More-City of Durham Parks and Recreation Magazine: Provides a good snapshot of current DPR amenities. http://durhamnc.gov/ich/op/prd/Documents/playmore.pdf

Office of State Budget and Management:

• Socioeconomic data: http://www.osbm.state.nc.us/ncosbm/facts_and_figures/socioeconomic-data.shtm
• Census and Survey data: http://www.osbm.state.nc.us/ncosbm/facts_and_figures/socioeconomic_data/census_home.shtm

Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA): CAPRA accredits departments and agencies that provide park and recreation programs and services. If your municipal or city Parks and Recreation department is CAPRA certified, consider requesting from the DPR and reviewing the CAPRA report for your city.

National Recreation and Park Association: http://www.nrpa.org/

“Racial/Ethnic Differences in Perceived Access, Environmental Barriers to Use, and Use of Community Parks”

Preventing Chronic Disease 2010 May; 7(3): A49. Published online 2010 April 15.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2879981/

Susan A. Carlson, MPH, Joseph D. Brooks, MS, David R. Brown, PhD, and David M. Buchner, MD, MPH

This article examines the differences in access to and use of public parks and outdoor areas among different racial/ethnic groups. Taking into account the importance of parks and public outdoor spaces for exercise, recreation, and community-building, this study makes the important distinction between technical access to parks, and other kinds of barriers, including environmental, social, and cultural aspects. Specifically, while race/ethnicity was not associated with park access, Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks were more likely than non-Hispanic whites to report barriers. The study concludes with recommendations for promoting and  increasing community park use that take into consideration the different uses and barriers for different racial/ethnic groups.

“Better parks through law and policy: a legal analysis of authorities governing public parks and open spaces.”

Physical Activity and Health 2011 Jan;8 Suppl 1:S109-15. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21350251

Henderson A, Fry CR.

“Improving parks in low income and minority neighborhoods may be a key way to increase physical activity and decrease overweight and obesity prevalence among children at the greatest risk. To advocate effectively for improved recreation infrastructure, public health advocates must understand the legal and policy landscape in which public recreation decisions are made.” This article reviews federal, state, and local laws to determine the authority of each level of government over parks, using case studies in urban California and rural Texas.

The authors conclude that public health advocates who want to improve parks need to “(1) think strategically about which levels of government to engage; (2) identify parks law and funding from all levels of government, including those not typically associated with local parks; and (3) partner with advocates with similar interests, including those from active living and school communities.”

“Income and racial disparities in access to public parks and private recreation facilities.”

Preventative Medicine 2008 Jan;34(1):9-15.

Abercrombie LC, Sallis JF, Conway TL, Frank LD, Saelens BE, Chapman JE.

This article asserts that “disparities in health outcomes and health behaviors may be partially explained by neighborhood environments that are poor in resources that could support healthy behaviors.” The article examines the hypothesis “that low-income and high-minority neighborhoods have less access to public parks, open space, and private recreation facilities.” The case studies here involved 833 census block groups in Maryland, carried out in 2004-2005.

The article finds that the  interaction between income and percent minority for the number and size of parks was significant. Mixed-race neighborhoods had the highest number of parks, regardless of income. Low- and middle-income groups living in mostly-white block groups and high-income groups living in mostly-minority block groups had the lowest access to public parks.

“Park Development and Community Revitalization”

The City Project. Policy Report March 2009. www.cityprojectca.org/.

Robert García, Zoe Rawson, Meagan Yellott, Christina Zaldaña1

“A diverse and growing alliance supports the distribution of park funds to achieve healthy, livable communities for all. This Policy Report specifically addresses criteria and guidelines for allocating $400 million in park  funds under California’s Prop 84, as discussed below. However, this Report addresses the broader implications of equal access to parks. The criteria and guidelines at issue here can serve as a best practice example to establish standards to measure progress and equity and to hold public officials accountable forthe distribution of park funds generally, including federal, state, county, local, and economic stimulus funds for parks and green natural spaces. This Report is specifically addressed to the California Department of Parks and Recreation. However, this Report is also addressed to a broader audience including park and social justice advocates, policy makers, and park agencies.”