The Municipal Parks and Recreation Master Plan: process, product, and philosophy
The Municipal Parks and Recreation Master Plan, and how it has been drawn up, reflects much about a community. The paper discusses how the rate of population growth in two towns in Ontario, Canada, resulted in very different planning processes for their master plans. The two case studies are based on recreation planning theory dealing with the relationship between rate of growth, and social and physical planning. The planning of one key element in each master plan — the derivation of community-specific facility standards, and the identification and ranking of recreation needs — are described in detail. The paper concludes with a critical assessment of the two planning processes, and a philosophical view of the future of parks and recreation master plans.