Prioritizing New Neighborhood Park Projects: New Tool will use Data to Equitably Prioritize Neighborhood Park Projects in Minneapolis

The following item, dated July 7, 2016,  has been issued by the Minneapolis Park Board.
 

Prioritizing New Neighborhood Park Projects:  New Tool will use Data to Equitably Prioritize Neighborhood Park Projects in Minneapolis

Criteria-based system measures both park and community characteristics to determine order of new park projects

At its July 6, 2016 meeting, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) of Commissioners unanimously approvedResolution 2016-223, which created a new ordinance that ensures specific, data-driven, equity-based criteria will be used to prioritize capital investment and large rehabilitation projects in neighborhood parks.

The criteria fall in two categories: community characteristics and park characteristics. Community characteristics include neighborhood demographic data such as identified racially concentrated areas of poverty, population density, youth population and crime statistics. Park characteristics include park asset data like asset condition, asset lifespan and proportionality of investment since 2000 relative to the total value of park assets.


Please read the Criteria Based System for MPRB Capital and Rehabilitation Project Scheduling for a detailed explanation of each criterion. 

A total of 106 neighborhood park properties were scored using the “Criteria Matrix.” Please read the Criteria Matrix for MPRB Capital and Rehabilitation for Neighborhood Park Projects to see how each neighborhood park was rated.

Finally, the Proposed Expanded MPRB CIP for Neighborhood Parks outlines MPRB staff recommendations for rehabilitation and capital projects in the first five years of the 20 Year Neighborhood Park Plan (2017-2021).


Projects that were already approved as part of the MPRB’s previous five-year capital improvement plan will be honored and move forward as scheduled. Proposed funding is specific to each park and would remain allocated to that park, not disappear, if the community decides on a different site improvement other than the improvement MPRB staff recommends in the Proposed Expanded MPRB CIP for Neighborhood Parks. As with all current park projects, community engagement and input will be critical to determining future park improvements.

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