Greensboro Plan2Play Parks and Recreation Master Plan 2019

GREENSBORO PLAN2PLAY MASTER PLAN - 43

Park Classifications As community priorities for recreation programs and facilities change, the types of parks and amenities the Department provides will evolve to support community needs. In Greensboro’s 1998 Parks and Recreation Plan , the Department classified their parks into seven categories which the Department still uses today. Early in the master planning process, the Department reorganized the parks to align with the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) classifications, both to amplify the role of neighborhood parks and to reconcile parks sizes against national standards, which are further interpolated to fit Greensboro’s unique community needs. The park types as identified in the 1998 Plan are described below. A more detailed table comparing park type categorization between 1998 and the current plan can be found at the back of this document in Appendix B. Magnet Park - magnet parks serve multiple neighborhoods in the city and often attract visitors from outside of the region for tournaments and other events. These parks include a mix of passive and

Mini Park - these parks consist of the smallest park spaces in the Department’s portfolio. They typically range in size from a tenth of an acre to just under four acres and include small playgrounds, amenities for seniors and mowed lawns and have similar maintenance needs as neighborhood and community parks. These parks are located in dense urban neighborhoods and developments.

active recreation amenities, and are hubs for organized sports events. There are three magnet parks within the Greensboro park system and Bryan Park in the northeast Greensboro is the largest. Regional Park - regional parks include a larger range of recreation activities than magnet parks, but are more numerous and typically smaller in scale. Many of Greensboro’s regional parks include indoor recreation facilities, restroom facilities and other community-facing spaces. Regional Parks range in size from 76 to 200 acres. Community Park - these parks serve a smaller neighborhood audience similar in nature, level of activity, equipment and maintenance needs to neighborhood parks and mini parks. Many community parks include recreation facilities, swimming pools, multi-purpose fields and basketball courts. Neighborhood Park - these parks were designed to serve individual neighborhoods and typically are more linear parks along stream corridors and steep slopes. Neighborhood parks are between five and fifteen acres in size and include many of the same amenities as mini parks and community parks.

Figure 24. Barber Park is a regional park with many amenities for all ages.