Parks: Design and Management

This is a book about designing, planning, managing, publicizing, and maintaining a truly outstanding park. It's the first work to integrate all the diverse aspects necessary to succeed: from planning the kinds of diversified spaces today's park users require... to galvanizing public support... to selecting low-maintenance plants and trees. Whether you're a landscape architect, an urban planner, or a park manager, you'll find in this single, comprehensive reference precisely the information you're looking for - and have been unable to find anywhere else! Among the subjects covered: park-user issues surrounding traffic islands, parking lots, park trails, ballfields, and bridges; playground safety issues, including compliance with national standards from CPSC and ASTM as well as accessibility requirements mandated by ADA; master plans for a variety of different park designs - all of which can be modified for existing site conditions; descriptions of tree, shrub, ornamental grass, and turf maintenance and care techniques - with advice on pruning and listings of recommended annuals and perennials; solutions to common vandalism problems, including the most up-to-date techniques of graffiti removal; advice on hiring, training, placing, and supervising both professional and volunteer staff - with a special emphasis on motivation, recognition, and retention; an overview of public relations programs, from press releases... to free events... to cable TV; examples of successful urban parks: how they were designed, how they are maintained, and why they work; unique tips on wildlife management and pest control; and everything you need to know about infrastructure - from finding cost effective ways of repairing aging parks in aging cities to creating the kind of new infrastructure guaranteed to last well into the next century.