Community Leisure and Recreation Planning

Community Leisure and Recreation Planning offers an up-to-date, evidence-based approach to planning community leisure and recreation facilities, programs and services. It introduces readers to key theory and best practice in the planning of effective leisure and recreation projects. The book defines planning, leisure, recreation and other key concepts and explains why a thorough planning process is essential to achieving effective outcomes. It presents a comprehensive, integrative four phase model for undertaking leisure and recreation planning, including: pre-planning, planning research, preparing a plan, and implementing, monitoring and evaluating the outputs and outcomes of a plan. It provides a conceptual rationale for each component of the planning process, a detailed explanation of the tools and techniques that can be used, and extensive examples and international case study materials to demonstrate their use. The principles and techniques explained in the book are applicable at a range of community levels from small individual sites to regions, states and even countries. This is an essential course text for all leisure and recreation courses, and invaluable reading for academics, practitioners, stakeholders and students working in leisure and recreation planning, events, culture and sport.

Ken Marriott operated a private leisure and recreation planning company from 1984 until 2016, and has authored or co-authored planning manuals and texts for all Australian state governments and the New Zealand government. John Tower is Honorary Research Fellow at Victoria University, Institute of Health and Sport, Australia and Manager of Research for a leisure consulting company. Katie McDonald is a doctoral student in the Institute of Health and Sport at Victoria University, Australia.

1. Introduction: Planning Community Leisure and Recreation Programs, Facilities and Services, 2. The Leisure and Recreation Planning Model, 3. Pre-Planning, 4. Socio-Economic Change and Demographics, 5. Assessing Opportunities for Leisure and Recreation, 6. Report Reviews: Scope and Purpose, 7. Assessing Needs and Aspirations, 8. Leisure and Recreation Participation, 9. Planning for Greenfield and Brownfield Sites and Natural Areas, 10. Alternate Leisure and Recreation Planning Approaches, 11. Preparing a Leisure and Recreation Plan, 12. Implementing, Monitoring and Evaluating a Plan, 13. Ensuring a Sound Future for Leisure and Recreation Planning