RDG in the Media: Parks for the People
Scott Crawford speaks with Recreation Management Magazine to discuss the latest and greatest in park landscape design.
Climate change, budget concerns and pandemic-related societal shifts are impacting how landscape architects tackle park design. To learn about changes design firms are making, Recreation Management Magazine spoke to four landscape architects, including RDG Landscape Architect and Principal Scott Crawford, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP, to discuss how they approach the new challenges and needs.
Crawford shared that when community input is solicited as part of the planning process, the majority of responses reveal that people want to engage with nature — feedback that impacts the selection of park materials and design offerings. Landscape architects can select park furnishings and equipment that blend in with the natural environment, with play features integrated into natural landscapes or as a literal part of the landscape. Likewise, in a post-pandemic world, park design is heavily prioritizing social connection and creating spaces that can easily adapt to accommodate various activities and age groups.
“Accessibility, inclusivity and flexibility are key,” Crawford said. “Parks need to be places where anyone and everyone — no matter how old or young they are, no matter what their abilities or limitations might be — has access and feels welcome.”