Tina Trenkner is the Deputy Editor for GOVERNING.com. She edits the Technology, Public Workforce and Health newsletters.
E-mail: ttrenkner@governing.comTwitter: @governing
Idea Center
Parks and Rec Online
An online program in use in San Francisco and Portland, Oregon is making it easier for visitors to give parks and recreation departments a heads-up on maintenance issues.
Nothing can ruin a trip to the local park like broken equipment, graffiti or loose dogs. An online program in use in San Francisco and Portland, Oregon is making it easier for visitors to give parks and recreation departments a heads-up on these bummers. Both cities use ParkScan, a Web service that provides visitors opportunities to inform city park departments about potential maintenance problems. Produced by the nonprofit Neighborhood Parks Council, ParkScan was created as a way to engage citizens in park upkeep and to gather data that may be useful in budget negotiations. Visitors submit "observations" by finding the park in question on a Google map or from a dropdown menu. An aerial view of the selected park will appear, and users can mark the areas park supervisors should check out. Explanations for observations go in a text field below the park map, and users can upload photos. After an observation is submitted, visitors are e-mailed a tracking number. San Francisco has used ParkScan since 2003; Portland's recent citywide launch is the first time the service has been offered outside of San Francisco. In addition, 10 inquiries have been made to NPC regarding the service. Cities that may be interested in implementing ParkScan can contact NPC Deputy Director Meredith Thomas at mthomas@sfpnc.org.
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