Glass trends that blend sophistication and structural integrity

By Mike Mendoza 

Glass is more than just a material—it's a statement of modern elegance and innovation. Commonly used to enhance the decorative appeal of a project, it also holds a structural integrity that makes it a smart choice for building design and construction, due to its versatility, durability, and contributions to sustainable building practices. 

Pocket parks can improve public life with minimal requirements

By Mitchell Fransen

Community parks are often celebrated as the epitome of urban park experiences, as evidenced in Google results, bustling vehicular traffic, and ambient sounds present. However, leaders tend to overlook the invaluable opportunity to forge community bonds through the intimate spaces of smaller parks. Not all citizens go to parks after a 9-5 shift in a minivan with their kids, ready for active recreation. Moreover, rethinking the impacts of smaller parks, pocket parks, plazas, and multi-destination greenways is paramount in delivering on the promise of excellent parklands for all citizens in urban regions and beyond.

A transformative journey for Santa Ana

By Timothy J. Pagano

In 2022, the City of Santa Ana, Calif. embarked on a transformative journey to bring its aquatic programming back in-house, marking a bold shift in its approach to community services. For over a decade, the program had been outsourced, but with the conclusion of the contractor agreement and evolving priorities of the city council, Santa Ana’s leaders saw an opportunity to take control of its aquatic future. This decision, driven by the need to address systemic inequities in water safety, has since reshaped the way residents engage with aquatic education and recreation.

CDC, NSF, and Westlake Water Solutions offer annual facility-maintenance tips

By Frank Schiffman

The COVID-19 pandemic, followed by inflationary cost increases, has made it more difficult for aquatic facility managers to maintain smooth operations. Staff shortages and budget tightening have also made general maintenance, water safety, and chemical management feel like herding cats.

How Makapo Aquatics centers inclusivity in watersports

By Grace Nyberg

“We just wanted people of all abilities to be able to get on the water together,” says RJ De Rama, Executive Director and co-founder of Makapo Aquatics Project. That simple idea sparked the beginning of the organization, which is dedicated to making outrigger paddling accessible to every individual. Founded in 2007 by two blind paddlers, Makapo began by creating opportunities for blind and low-vision athletes. Since then, the organization has grown to include individuals with a range of physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities, including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, paralysis, and amputations, among others.

Revolutionizing parks and recreation

By Jason Peters

Like many industries, parks and recreation departments are benefiting from using AI and data to optimize operations. Based on insights from industry leaders with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints, there are some key takeaways that can help agencies of all sizes.

What it takes to maintain an ice-skating rink

By Hannah Seo

A beloved and longstanding staple of wintertime recreation, gliding around on knife-strapped boots is an annual must-do activity for families around the world. But while ice skating has been around for an exceptionally long time—scholars think it was developed in Scandinavia around 1000 BCE—manmade ice-skating rinks are a somewhat recent invention, created fewer than 150 years ago. 

Iowa nonprofit Can Play empowers communities for inclusive recreation

By Brianne Sanchez

“Tonight, we’re going to work on building strong muscles and fast feet!” Melissa Clarke-Wharff calls out to a group of pre-teens warming up for 45 minutes of fitness fun. 

Balancing the needs of workers, communities, and land 

By Clement Lau

As the world transitions from fossil fuels to cleaner, renewable energy sources, the concept of a "just transition" has gained prominence as a framework for ensuring the shift is fair and equitable. At its core, just transition seeks to balance the needs of three critical areas: impacted workers, impacted communities, and impacted land.

Building a sustainable camp culture

By Danny Sudman

Imagine sustainability as a massive LEGO set—a collection of colorful bricks, each representing a resource that helps build a sustainable model. Unlike traditional LEGO sets with clear instructions, sustainability is an evolving process that varies from camp to camp due to differences in location, resources, and organizational priorities. Most of us are working with a mix of pieces—limited budgets, minimal buy-in, and limited knowledge about best practices for sustainability. But with creativity and determination, we can still create something meaningful.