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VISION AND GOALS <br />PARKS, RECREATION & COMMUNITY SERVICES NEEDS ASSESSMENT | 19 <br />Observations <br />Redwood City is land constrained with limited vacant <br />land; property values in the City and the surrounding <br />region are at a record high making expansion diffi cult. <br />The City has been working to increase programming in <br />parks, including downtown parks and plazas. <br />Cities are getting more out of their parks and <br />public spaces by providing programming and <br />off ering mobile recreation programs4. Especially in <br />land constricted urban areas or areas with limited <br />resources, bringing programming to existing parks, <br />plazas, and streets can help serve growing <br />and diversifying communities. Cities are no longer <br />4 Philadelphia Park Alliance. Activating Parks & <br />Open Spaces Through Programming. June 2015 <br />limiting play to large neighborhood and community <br />parks. New approaches to park design layer many <br />uses in small areas. <br />Implications <br />In addition to programming its parks, the City can add <br />features to its under-used mini-parks. Rather than <br />installing playgrounds, play elements may be more <br />appropriate for some of the City’s small parks. <br />Social seating, art, and activities with small <br />footprints, such as ping pong, can activate parks. <br />The City may also want to start looking beyond <br />park borders to its streets and medians to increase <br />recreational space. Streets can be transformed <br />into festival streets, temporarily or permanently, to <br />support public events, play and walking and biking. <br />active transportation to reach parks and will reduce <br />access barriers for people without cars. Additionally, <br />providing and promoting fi tness programming and <br />opportunities at a variety of locations in Redwood <br />City will help make exercise convenient for a diverse <br />group of community members. <br />Observations <br />Trail-based activities including walking, hiking and <br />running are highly popular in the United States. A <br />2016 Outdoor Participation Study conducted by <br />the Outdoor Foundation found that that 50% of <br />Americans over the age of six walk as a form <br />of physical exercise, 18% run outdoors, and 13% <br />hike5. Redwood City is no exception. During the <br />5 The Outdoor Foundation. 2016 Outdoor Rec- <br />reation Participation. Report. 2016. <br />DEMAND FOR TRAIL-BASED ACTIVITIES <br />ACTIVATING PUBLIC SPACE <br />7.A. - Page 37 of 66 <br />149