HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/4/2026 Item 4b, Pasek
Mary Pasek <
To:E-mail Council Website; Advisory Bodies
Subject:Equity and Public Responsibility in Park Planning
Dear Commissioners and Council Members,
At the recent Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) meeting, the words “four-legged children” and “two-
legged children” were used for comparison during the discussion of equity among user groups. That
comparison was surprising to many who view youth recreation as the primary public responsibility.
Public recreation planning has long recognized that children’s access to space for healthy, active play
carries a distinct and foundational priority. No single park can accommodate every use, especially when
open field space is already in critical short supply.
Respectfully, equity does not mean treating fundamentally different needs as interchangeable.
Dogs have options for exercise. Children do not. Kids cannot practice soccer on a sidewalk or run drills in
a parking lot. They require open, contiguous turf.
When land is limited, equity requires careful protection of youth access to recreation space —
particularly in neighborhoods already identified as critically underserved.
Ensuring children retain their only functional field within a safe walking distance of home is not “putting
one group over another.” It reflects a longstanding civic responsibility to safeguard children’s access to
healthy, active play.
~ Mary Pasek
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