You Are Here : Home / ParksLove Project

ParksLove Project

What are your park improvement ideas?

We are asking community members what kinds of improvements would make Lynnwood's parks more welcoming, inclusive, environmentally resilient and support better health to help us identify and prioritize capital projects.

For the past year, we've been listening and gathering your ideas on how to improve Lynnwood's parks. Those ideas have been put together in a series of maps for each park and trail site across the City and we want to hear from you again! Your ideas - along with some of ours - can be viewed in this PDF map series: Park Maps with Project Ideas(PDF, 6MB). What do you think about the project list for your neighborhood park?

Tell Us What You Think!

Below is an example of Daleway Park which has the following project ideas identified:

update parking lot and create accessible route
renovate open lawn
add small picnic shelter
update the playground and splash pad
add a new play feature
improve the neighborhood connections
improve stormwater detention
restore and enhance forestland

Map of park improvement ideas for Pioneer Park

How are Parks Essential?

(JPG, 1MB)

(JPG, 1MB)

(JPG, 2MB)

Parks Build Healthy Communities

Lynnwood Parks play a vital role in the social, economic, environmental and physical well-being of all members of the Lynnwood community. COVID-19 has highlighted what has been true for many years: parks and recreation is vital to ensuring that all people — no matter their race, ethnicity, income, age, location or gender identity — thrive.

In the midst of COVID-19, a racial justice movement, growing economic pressures, health crises and devastating impacts of climate change, park and recreation professionals are continuing to serve their communities by maintaining essential infrastructure and providing innovative and vital programming.

Health: Since March 11, 2020, the day the World Health Organization declared coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic, the essential services park and recreation agencies provide has only been magnified. Parks and open spaces encourage active lifestyle and improve individuals physical and mental health.

Environmental: Parks make cities more resilient. Parks and green spaces reduce the cost of capturing and storing rainwater, alleviate the “urban heat island effect” and lower city temperatures, and can offset flooding along ocean and river shorelines.

Economic: Local park and recreation agencies generated $166 billion in economic activity and supported more than 1.1 million jobs in 2017. Beyond the nationwide impact, NRPA’s report, The Economic Impact of Local Parks, shows the economic contribution of parks and recreation in the state-level too. The estimates of total economic impacts include the direct, indirect and induced effects of operations and capital spending by local park and recreation agencies.

Community Connections: Parks produce important social and community benefits, from making neighborhoods more livable to offering much-needed recreational opportunities for children and families. People say local parks are the common factor in developing stronger social ties with their neighbors.

NRPA Resilient Park Access Grant

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is the leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation. With more than 60,000 members, NRPA advances this mission by investing in and championing the work of park and recreation professionals and advocates — the catalysts for positive change in service of equity, climate-readiness, and overall health and well-being.

The Resilient Park Access grant is dedicated to advancing community-driven, systems-level strategies for equitable park access that improves the environmental resilience and health of communities. This grant supports park and recreation professionals in partnership with leaders from community-based organizations. Lynnwood is one of six communities nationwide selected to advance equitable park access.

ParksLove Project

The Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Department plan to use this grant as an opportunity to complete a community-driven, comprehensive Park & Trail Capital Project Plan and prioritization project centering equity in our park system planning.

The work on the ParksLove Project will examine park equity in an effort to guide park priorities and investments in ways that engage and benefit all. We will be asking the questions do all people and communities benefit equally from parks? Do they have access to high quality parks with park amenities that serve their needs and interests? Are our parks inclusive for all ages and abilities and if not, where are those gaps? Do our parks support an system of environmental resiliency?

Co-Design Committee

CoDesign Team Members

The CoDesign Team is comprised of community members, business owners, non-profit leaders, and members of City boards and commissions. This team will meet approximately seven times from April 2022 - summer 2023 to learn about Lynnwood's parks and trails, support community outreach, and advise on equitable and resilient strategies for a new Park & Trail Comprehensive Plan.