(A Skater, Parent, Teacher, Local Resident)
Nearly all public skatepark projects start with a local resident who takes it upon themselves to work toward creating more skate space in town. This usually results in them creating and managing a public skatepark project. Almost always a self-elected volunteer position, many “skatepark advocates” start with little knowledge or experience of public projects. They learn along the way, often using resources and guidance available through The Skatepark Project and advice they get from their allies in the local government.
The Skatepark Project’s focus is to help individuals like yourself follow best practices for establishing and completing a successful skatepark project.
Check out the information on this page to learn how it works and utilize the resources below to get started.
You can get free guidance and technical assistance from our staff. If you have questions, need help with an existing project or have decided to start a new skatepark project, you can connect with us by using the contact links at the bottom of the page.
Every public skatepark is the result of dedicated civil servants engaging with locals and understanding the need of the community.
Often this means taking steps to make the project a priority and putting resources behind it. Some start the project themselves, some learn about the need and choose to act. Wherever someone starts, the Skatepark Project is here to assist municipal employees in their efforts to generate, complete or support local public skatepark projects.
Our Programs Department is ready to offer free, unbiased skatepark project development guidance, technical assistance, and grant funding. We’ve been involved with thousands of projects over the last 20 years and intend to help you complete a public skatepark project efficiently and up to contemporary standards.
Take a look at some of the top line information for successful skatepark projects on this page (particularly the Core Principles and Priorities section – or the Skatepark Best Practices Guide for a deeper dive) then email us to set up an initial consultation or a Project Review Appointment with our staff.
The best practices of a contemporary public skatepark project include the following attributes
PROCESS
The process of creating a public skatepark through activism/advocacy is outlined below. Anyone can step up create a skatepark in their city, but it’s important to make sure you’re aware of the commitment it takes before going public with a project. Check out this simple list to get a good idea of what it takes, then watch our Skatepark 101 video below. Then, if you’re serious about starting a project, the Public Skatepark Development Guide will be your best friend throughout the process.
It’s a fairly straightforward process, with a few key steps. The order shifts a little bit, as some items happen around the same time. Projects initiated by city employees may include similar steps.
1) Build your Core Group (your local crew, parents of kids who skate, general supporters)
2) Establish Regular Meetings (weekly or bi weekly, time and location)
3) Make a Plan (name of group, size of park, main points, general guidelines of the project: be positive and prepared)
4) Connect with the City to create Steering Committee (Parks and Rec, City Council presentation, site selection, etc.)
5) Connect with a Skatepark Design/Construction Firm (continue refining your plan, begin design process)
6) Find a Place for Donations (most likely a local service organization acting as a fiscal sponsor for your group)
7) Fundraise (most of the work, but there are a lot of fun events; you’ll meet the whole town, establishing yourself and team as the group creating the skatepark)
8) Prepare for Construction Process (work with the city, take steps to ensure quality, qualification process, construction bids, etc.)
9) Let it Happen!
Ready for more?
Watch the Skatepark 101 Webinar to learn some of the critical pointers before starting or finishing a project.
You can also listen to a 20 minute podcast on how skatepark projects work.
Download the Skatepark Best Practices Guide to get all the details about how to run a successful skatepark project.
If you’re seeking guidance on your very first actions in skatepark activism, check out our new Getting Started page on Skatepark.org.
If you’re serious about bringing a skatepark to your town, check out the resource list below and sign up for free Technical Assistance and guidance.
Skateparks build and sustain healthy communities. As a gathering place for dedicated, athletic youth, the skatepark provides the forum for visitors young and old, beginning and skilled, to meet and share experiences. For many skateboarding youth, the skatepark becomes a home-away-from-home.
More than anyone, young people need to feel like they are recognized and appreciated by their communities. In too many places skateboarders get the wrong message from local authorities who limit or outlaw skateboarding and ignore its inherent benefits. Skateparks are the solution. Every skatepark supports hundreds of kids that might otherwise have nowhere to go.
A first-of-its-kind study of skateboarding culture reveals that skateboarding improves mental health, fosters community, and encourages diversity and resilience.
Skateparks can be seen as a playground, a gym, a creative laboratory, a community center and much more.
We believe skatepark users encounter a physical and social environment that improves mental health, fosters community, and encourages diversity and resilience.
Skatepark users consistently engage in
Cooperative athleticism
Creative self expression
Diverse community engagement
Long term habitual exercise habits (without the restrictions of league costs, coaches or practice schedules)
Perseverance through repetition and self-set goal achievement
Emotional regulation
Inclusion
Risk analysis
For more information about the benefits of action sports and skateparks, see pages 9-12 in the Skatepark Best Practices Guide.
TYPES OF SKATEPARKS
There are multiple types of skate spaces. While they all share a similar purpose, it’s important to know the differences and what may be right for your community or your group.
Temporary Skatepark
Prefabricated or non-concrete skateparks can be a worthwhile consideration when utilizing an existing slab. Though constrained by limited design options, there can be instances where a prefabricated park is a valuable skate amenity for the community. They can be a cheaper alternative to concrete, but they will need ongoing maintenance and don’t last as long as poured-in-place concrete.
Neighborhood Skatepark
The neighborhood skatepark is around 10,000 sq. ft. No less than 6,000 square feet. This is the size of the average public skatepark.
Regional Skatepark
The regional skatepark is often 30,000 sq. ft. or more and serves the city it’s in plus the surrounding region. The largest skatepark in the United States just opened in Des Moines Iowa, coming in at a whopping 88,000 sq. ft.
DIY Skatepark / Community Build
“Do It Yourself” skateparks have been around a long time and embody the creative and persistent spirit of skateboarding. These parks are hand built by locals – sometimes without permission, sometimes with permission from the city or property owner. Some turn into bonafide public skateparks, some are torn out unceremoniously. We often recommend going the traditional public skatepark advocacy route (working with the city and hiring professionals to build it) rather than trying to build it yourself. However, there may be opportunity to do a “proof of concept” permission DIY/community build in the midst of the larger municipal skatepark advocacy push. Contact us for more details.
Skate Spot (Purpose Built)
Skate Spots or Skate Dots (not to be confused with the common street skate spot) are smaller skate areas with only a few skate-able elements. These can be peppered throughout a city’s interconnecting public access ways. Sometimes referred to as dots.
Skate Spot (Street Spot)
Street spots are spaces in the community that have architectural features that attract action sports community members. It is often illegal to ride in these spots.
Legalized Skate Spot / Liberated Spot
These are street spots that have been liberated (made legal) through local advocacy and cooperation between the skate community and the city/property owner. Examples include the Tacoma WA ledges, South Bank in London, England, and the West LA Courthouse in Los Angeles, CA.
How much skatepark do we need?
In general, every town needs a skatepark. The true “Skatepark Need” of a community depends on the size of your community and what existing legal skate space already exists.
To find out how big of a park you need or how many parks you need to serve your community, use the Skatepark Adoption Model.
The shorthand for the SAM model is 10,000 sq. ft. for every 25,000 residents. Nothing smaller than 6,000 square feet if it’s the primary skate space in the area. If it’s a densely packed major metropolitan city, that number jumps to 10,000 sq. ft. per 50,000 residents
Figure out what your city needs by following the SAM model or dividing your population by 25,000, multiplying that answer by 10,000, then subtracting all of the existing square footage of functioning concrete skatepark in your area. What remains is your community’s need.
Determining your community’s need is a way for you to inform your local government of what should be in place, using a language they understand. To get help with an official need report from our staff, connect with us using the form at the bottom of the page.
COST OF SKATEPARKS
On average, poured-in-place concrete skateparks (that are designed and built by professionals with community design input) cost between $40-80 per square foot. $55 per square foot is a decent number to use as an estimate.
There are often different factors in skatepark design and project conditions. Things like local prevailing wage and geological factors can adjust the cost. Work with your skatepark designer to learn more about your costs.
Funds raised for a public skatepark are often a combination of the city’s financial commitment to the project, local, regional and federal grant funding, along with local businesses, community service organizations and grass roots efforts. Projects can lower their cost by sourcing in-kind donations for materials, equipment and some types of labor. Eventually you’ll work with your skatepark designer to find a list of things you can help source locally as in-kind donations.
Learn more about fundraising, fiscal sponsorship (the proper place to put donations if you don’t want to create a non-profit), and in-kind donations in our Funding FAQ section.
To learn about how many skateparks your community needs, use the Skatepark Adoption Model.
Skatepark Best Practices Guide: Skatepark Advocacy
Looking for a particular topic? Use Command “F” function to search the Best Practices Guide, or find topics in the PSDG Table of Contents.
Signature Elements: A look at signature skatepark elements.
Police Study: TSP’s 2009 Law Enforcement Study
Example Bid Specifications: These are example contemporary skatepark Bid Specifications. Best practices suggest a Request for Qualifications also be utilized. See Best Practices document for more.*
Learn more about City Planning and Civic/Community Structures and how they relate to skatepark advocacy
Once you’ve read the Best Practices Guide, and you’re serious about getting a skatepark built in your town, the Public Skatepark Development Guide V3 (online) is a highly recommended read. Go there and soak up as much as you can, but be sure to bookmark this page to find more resources.
A special thanks to Miki Vuckovich, Peter Whitley, Skaters for Public Skateparks and all the hardworking advocates and public officials who have helped create, test and refine these materials and practices for nearly two decades.
Public Skatepark Development Guide V2 PDF Download: a linear version of the web contents, with additional photos. The classic skatepark development guide by Peter Whitley that we all know and love.
*The Skatepark Project assumes no liability for the use of these examples. Consult your City Attorney to ensure quality and minimize risk.
A podcast all about public skatepark development and skatepark culture. Prepare to nerd out. The first ten episodes are instructional pieces framed around the process itself. Available wherever you get your podcasts. (Note: Pre-name change recordings mention The Skatepark Project’s former name, The Tony Hawk Foundation)
1 – Overview Episode
2 – Core Group
3 – City Council
7 – Fundraising
11 – Tony Hawk
TSP Programs Department Support
Our team is ready and willing to support any skatepark project that fits our mission and priorities. Reach out to us at Contact@skatepark.org or schedule an appointment.
OFFICE HOURS – Thursday at 4PM PST. This group meeting is focused on skatepark technical assistance. Examples of our technical assistance include: skatepark planning questions (site, funding, design, construction), dealing with opposition, grant funding questions, etc. Please email andre@skatepark.org if this time doesn’t work for you, we’d like to make time for your project development needs.
Built To Play – If you live in SE Michigan or Western NY, you may be eligible to receive up to $300,000 in matching grants thanks to the Built to Play Program with support from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation
This support is brought to the public by supporters like you and our partnerships.
Skatepark Construction Grants
TSP offers skatepark construction grants opportunities for communities that qualify. Learn about skatepark construction grants.
We like to see eligible projects with around a third of their fundraising goal completed before applying for a National TSP Skatepark Construction Grant. If you’re just starting out a project, start with the Skatepark 101 Webinar.
Built To Play Grants
The Skatepark Project has partnered with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation to promote the creation of free, public skateparks in the 16 counties of Southeast Michigan and Western New York served by RCWJRF. Learn more about the Built To Play Program.
Be sure to read through our Frequently Asked Questions section to ensure you’ve got all the information you need.
While working on a skatepark project, the single most important thing you can do is help the city understand the importance of quality construction. Not hiring experienced skatepark construction firms is the quickest and easiest way to waste all the funding for the skatepark. Imagine trying to play basketball on a lumpy court with bent rims placed at the wrong heights. It just doesn’t work.
Getting involved in the process and helping your city understand the need for speciality construction requirements are critical steps in skatepark project success. If you take away one thing from these materials, it would be the importance of convincing your city to do an RFQ (Request For Qualifications) prior to the construction bid to ensure only experienced skatepark construction specialists can apply.
If you’re serious about your skatepark project, take five minutes to learn about ensuring quality in design and construction.
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From the Public Skatepark Development Guide:
The major challenge for skatepark advocates is to produce the best skatepark possible with your available resources and constraints.
Skatepark quality is a difficult thing to describe. Non-skaters frequently underestimate how particular skaters are about the quality of their terrain. Most people imagine skaters riding their boards on all kinds of things that weren’t designed to be skated on and conclude that skaters are going to be happy with just about anything. Skaters, on the other hand, know that the line between a perfect ledge and one that sucks is pretty thin.
A risk that all skatepark advocates are aware of is that an unqualified skatepark builder will produce a skatepark that is unusable. All of the years of advocacy and fundraising are wasted when an unqualified skatepark builder is hired. Hundreds of skateparks across the nation do not perform as well as they might due to flaws in the design or construction that are, by most accounts, easily avoided by experienced builders.
Common mistakes by inexperienced skatepark builders:
Bulges and slumps
Subtle undulations in the skating surface act as “tripping hazards” for skateboarders. Variances that are nearly invisible to the eye affect the moving skateboard as abrupt speed changes and can easily throw the rider off the board. Bulges and slumps are a problem wherever they occur; on flat ground or on banks and transition terrain.
Inaccurate Edging
Coping is the raised lip at the top of curving walls. It provides the skater with tactile feedback and tells him or her where the edge of the surface ends. A lot of tricks are based on the skateboard’s interaction with the coping. When the coping is set incorrectly—either too much coping is revealed or not enough—it changes the character and usability of the structure that it’s connected to. An experienced skatepark vendor knows instinctively how much coping reveal is appropriate for each area of the park.
Inexperienced builders and designers may fail to appreciate the precise tolerances desired where two pieces or planes come together. Even the top and bottom of banks have a slight amount of curved transition that can dramatically improve the usability of that structure. The placement of expansion seams is another place where inexperienced designers are frequently insensitive.
Ignorant Park Layout
The design and construction of the structures is as important as how those structures orient to each other. Inexperienced skatepark vendors frequently fail to position elements in a way that provides maximum usability and enjoyment from the structures. The quality of a park’s layout and design is difficult to measure but you can get a sense of a company’s design quality by looking at how proud they are of their parks. Experienced skateboarders will hold particular companies in high esteem for a good reason; these are the companies that have crafted reputations based on decades of experience. A inexperienced designer can easily create a skate space that results in a higher frequency of collisions and accidents.
Most of these poor decisions are not the result of intentional deceit but rather from inexperience and over-confidence. Everyone has a genuine desire to provide the best skatepark possible. It’s important that advocates understand that preventing unqualified companies from being involved in the skatepark is not an issue over skateboarders’ desire to work with a particular skatepark company but rather from a desire to rely on a company that consistently produces excellent results.
If a company is eager to excuse or apologize for their past work, (“We don’t do things that way anymore”), it’s a good sign that they are willing to have your community project be the thing that they apologize for in the future. You should aim for companies that are proud of all of their projects.
Allowing inexperienced skatepark vendors from designing or building the skatepark is a source of anxiety for most skatepark advocates. As the skatepark project moves into the public bidding process, as an advocate you may sense that your ability to prevent bad companies from getting involved is slipping away.
Understanding the vendor-hiring process is the first step in ensuring that your new park is designed and built by only qualified companies.
Methods for Ensuring Quality Vendors
There is no guarantee that the skatepark you’ve worked so hard for will turn out as good as or better than you expected. There are lots of things you can do as an advocate or an administrator that will improve the odds of an excellent skatepark. It’s important to understand that you cannot guarantee a flawless skatepark; you can only improve your chances that it will turn out better than expected.
1. Lead the Discussion
You cannot influence the project if you are not involved. You will need to know explicitly what the exact process is for procuring a design and, later, hiring a construction firm. These processes vary from state to state and from community to community. The size of your local government can be a factor in how complicated this process is, and there are also state and local laws to be aware of.
The best way to understand what process you will be using is to ask. This is the perfect kind of conversation for your steering committee. It’s appropriate to ask city staff what opportunities you, the skateboarders, will have to ensure that an acceptable designer and builder are involved.
Some skatepark projects are led by their city administrators and the skateboarding community is only involved for occasional public meetings and events. When the skating community does not have representation with personal experience visiting and using different skateparks, it can be difficult to fully appreciate the importance of the considerations around “quality.”
A better arrangement is a peer relationship with the City where the advocates help lead the way. The responsibility of achieving this kind of partnership lies with the advocates. As an advocate, you must continue to increase your knowledge of skatepark development, grow your lexicon around skatepark use, and have a critical eye to skatepark design.
When an advocacy group researches skatepark development and are able to approach their city leaders with a schedule, cost estimates, and strategy for gathering community support, the city leaders should respond positively.
Conversely, when an advocacy group approaches the city with a list of desires and needs, and no plan for achieving those things, the city leaders see the skatepark project as a burden.
Try to project the following qualities:
• Your group understands skateparks
• Your group needs guidance navigating local processes
• Your group is willing to do as much as possible with enthusiasm
2. Warn of Approaching Obstacles
No skatepark was intentionally created to fail, yet skateparks fail from time to time. They fail when advocates and planners fail to recognize critical developmental decisions. Skateparks fail when expediency is put in front of quality. Skateparks fail when community fears are more important than the needs of local youth. Skateparks fail when skateboarder’s voices are not heard.
Recognizing and anticipating the risks in skatepark development provides an enormous value. Most advocates soon realize that city administrators do not have the time to investigate the pitfalls in skatepark development and, as a result, may blindly walk into them. The advocate can help by warning of approaching risks to the park’s quality and prioritize the local skateboarding community’s interests accordingly.
Some common risks include (in order of frequency):
• Enlisting a skatepark designer to “donate” services
• Tasking critical developmental decisions to individuals that are not sensitive to the importance of quality standards.
• Making critical development decisions based on unsubstantiated community fears
• Prioritizing size over quality
• Proposing specific locations prematurely
• Failing to establish positive relationships with other community organizations
• Neglecting to create and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy
3. Be Engaged in Selection Process
At some point in the process, skatepark advocates and city administrators must have a conversation that establishes methods for ensuring that only qualified designers and builders are hired for the project. That conversation may even occur several times. It will come up a lot.
There are several ways to reduce the risk of unqualified skatepark vendors from bidding on your project. Advocates will need to work directly with their city administrators — particularly liaisons in the planning department — to ensure that all priorities are agreed upon and aligned.
There are a few places where specific criteria can limit the number of companies from getting involved with the project. The process for hiring a design is generally less regulated than the process for hiring the builder. An experienced builder can sometimes improve on a flawed design, but an experienced designer cannot fix poor construction. It’s important that both the designer and builder are both qualified, but mediocre construction is much worse than mediocre design on the facility’s long-term success.
4. Do Not Compromise Quality for Speed or Cost
Commit to a standard of quality as your first priority. It’s better to have a good skatepark that is small than a large one that sucks. Similarly, it’s better to continue to work on the skatepark for another year if it means that you get the skatepark that your community needs rather than settling for a lesser skatepark that can be built sooner.
Request for Qualifications
There are several technical methods for restricting unqualified bidders. One way is to establish a requirement for certain qualifications from all bidders. This is the best way to prevent unqualified companies from bidding on your project while still allowing qualified companies to be competitive.
The qualifications that determine who is eligible to apply are generated by the city’s planning department in accordance to the project’s process and local laws. The city is creating a “request for qualifications (RFQ)” from companies that might be interested later in bidding on the project. Before those companies can bid, the city (and its local skateboarders) need to see if they’re interested in even talking to a particular company about their new skatepark. The RFQ is prepared and generally asks the company to answer a few questions.
Those qualifications usually include:
These two items allow the review board to assess the company proposals based NOT just on the proposed price but also on qualities that are critical to skateboarders’ interests.
Experienced skatepark companies usually respond to RFQs with a printed portfolio of their work, a cover letter, and documents to answer specific questions required by the RFP that their brochures may not cover. In other words, skatepark companies respond to RFQs all the time and they may not give them very much individual attention, particularly if the project is smaller, (e.g., less than $350,000 or so).
Your city may be prepared to hire a design from the batch of RFQ respondents without further investigation. The designer is often hired by the city based solely on the brochures and supplementary documents. If the project is larger, they may conduct personal interviews with the firms. In these interviews, the designers will talk about their approach to design, samples (photos) of their work, and often some quick concepts of the project as a means of demonstrating their enthusiasm and initiative. (These early concepts are seldom informed by any interactions with the local skateboarding community; they are simply visual examples to get the attention of the hiring committee.)
There will likely be other methods that provide greater control over whom is hired to design and build your skatepark. Finding those opportunities is the result of open communication with your city leaders about the risks inherent in skatepark development.
All three of these strategies for ensuring quality work require that the skatepark advocates are a trusted, respected presence at all discussions pertaining to the skatepark. For advocates, this should be one of the central goals of their engagement with the city. Almost all problems that emerge in skatepark development are ultimately the result of the skateboarding community not being involved in the decision-making process.
Although these sections talk about legal issues, it should not be considered legal advice. The intent is to provide an overview on liability and risk so that advocates can better understand the issue on a conceptual level.
Information about safety and skateboarding.
Information about helmet policies and skateparks.
Although these sections talk about legal issues, it should not be considered legal advice. The intent is to provide an overview on liability and risk so that advocates can better understand the issue on a conceptual level.
Nearly all contemporary public skateparks are free and unsupervised, providing the greatest access possible for the community.
For anyone working on a public skatepark advocacy project, the question of liability comes up often.
Learn how skatepark liability works.
The best way to understand this on a local level is to call the nearest city in your state with a contemporary unsupervised skatepark and ask the City Manager about the specific state code that absolves cities in your state from liability. You can then consider connecting that person with who you’re working with in your city if they have any questions.
2009 Law Enforcement Study
To examine the impact of public skateparks from the local law-enforcement perspective, the Tony Hawk Foundation (now The Skatepark Project) surveyed law-enforcement officers in communities where THF has contributed to the construction of a public skatepark. Each municipality included in this survey has had its skatepark open at least one year. In total, 102 officers in 37 states, from Oregon to New Hampshire, were interviewed.
The majority of law-enforcement officers consider their public skatepark a significant community asset. While almost half cited a decrease in overall youth crime since the skatepark opened, several officers mentioned the skatepark has not affected overall youth crime, and that the worsening economy is primarily to blame for an overall increase in crime in their towns.
Major issues at skateparks are rare. Helmet enforcement was the number-one issue reported at the skateparks, followed by graffiti and prohibited bike use. Many officers reported the skatepark’s location as a factor in whether or not they considered it a success. Some attributed their park’s success to highly visible locations, and several agree placing their skateparks next to other recreational activities has kept the park more visible and accessible.
The majority of law-enforcement officers surveyed believe the skatepark has been a positive addition to their community. Some officers reported that their departments are actually working with the skaters to improve the skateparks and to promote them in their communities. Only a few were pessimistic about their skateparks, and admitted to having a negative impression of skaters.
The following are some of the findings of the 2009 Tony Hawk Foundation Law Enforcement Study: (more details for each statistic in the full study)
90% (92) of the officers surveyed believed the skatepark is an asset to the community.
85% (87) of officers stated that since the public skatepark opened in their community, their police/sheriff’s department has noticed a significant decrease in complaint calls from business and property owners regarding skate-related incidents/crimes.
91% (93) of officers surveyed reported no major issues, such as bad behavior or crime, at the skatepark.
Learn more about the 2009 Law Enforcement Study.
Along with location and money, noise is one of the most common concerns while talking about the new skatepark. In some cases, residents that lived on busy arterials or adjacent to train tracks have objected to skatepark proposals for fear that the noise will impact their comfort and reduce property values. Once the skatepark is open, however, these claims go unfulfilled and those concerned citizens find some other imaginary fear to get behind.
While it’s true that in some cases skateparks can be noisy, but the definition of “noise” is unclear. Skateparks are noisy like playgrounds. Some people may find the sound of volleyball annoying and others won’t. From skateparks you hear people applauding good tricks and the clack of skateboards popping against the ground. Skateparks don’t produce the kind of shrill, sustained cacophony that its opponents imagine. Skatepark noise, according to every study conducted on the subject, consistently falls well below ordinary recreational standards and is completely appropriate for residential areas. Unfortunately for most skatepark opponents, it doesn’t matter how many studies have been conducted on the subject… they “know” skateparks are noisy and will not be convinced otherwise.
One of the earliest and most comprehensive skatepark noise studies was conducted by the City of Portland, Oregon in 2001. The chief noise officer for the Portland Sheriff’s department concluded in a report that skateboarding noise was negligible at 50 feet but that sounds from some tricks (like ollies) could reach 65 to 71 decibels; about the sound of a bat hitting a ball. Other tricks (like grinds) reach between 54 to 65 decibels. Overall, a skatepark is about as “noisy” as a playground.
For context, here are some other average decibel readings:
10: Threshold of good hearing
40: Household noise
50: Office noise
60: Conversational speech
65: Skatepark
70: Normal street noise (i.e., passing cars, outdoor conversations)
85: Noisy restaurant
100: Passing truck
105: Snow blower
115: Football game
125: Chainsaw
130: Threshold of physical pain
Some exceptions exist and those are the result of decisions made early in the development process. For example, steel ramps are notoriously loud. Steel quarterpipes create a sort of drum so that sound is amplified within the structure. Thankfully one skatepark manufacturer in the nation is currently marketing prefabricated steel skateparks, and evidence suggests that few communities are buying them. As municipalities move away from prefabricated ramps and toward concrete, concerns about skatepark noise are becoming less common.
If sound abatement is a priority, there are several approaches one might consider. The best noise reduction techniques are introduced to a skatepark project early in the process as it can impact the skatepark budget. Landscaping and earthworks are a terrific way of responding to concerns about skatepark noise and can provide additional benefits by beautifying the area surrounding the skatepark. Positioning the skatepark in such a way as to orient sound-reflecting walls away from nearby residents is another way of addressing neighborhood concerns about noise. A professional skatepark designer should be experienced in managing these types of concerns.
The solution many communities settle on is to locate the skatepark in some distant area far from any residences. This can certainly eliminate any concern about noise but might invite other kinds of unwanted behavior, or be less accessible to local skaters.
There is no fool-proof strategy for shutting down an ungrounded noise accusation except to request (politely) that the concerns be produced with some evidence. If a person is claiming that skateparks are noisy, ask them for evidence in the nicest terms possible.
Check out the links below to see answers to the most frequently asked questions.
There are lots of ways to promote skateboarding and the new skatepark. As a skatepark advocate you’ll be talking about the benefits of skateboarding and the skatepark in lots of different ways. What you specifically talk should be appropriate to the audience’s interests and the goals of the skatepark effort. You’ll face questions and encounter a lot of misconceptions about skateboarding. If the idea of answering skatepark questions makes you nervous, don’t worry. Click the link above to learn more.
Most of the questions you’ll hear about the new skatepark will come from the general public. Some questions you will hear again and again, and you’ll get good at answering their questions in efficient and compelling ways. With practice you will gradually see your comfort increasing and you may even find yourself hoping for some challenging questions.
The costs associated with the new skatepark is an easy topic for people to relate to. Most people are comfortable asking about the expense even when they know very little about skateboarding and skateparks.
Environmental / Site Selection FAQ
Your audiences, whether they’re city officials or the general public, will often be interested in how the new skatepark will impact local quality-of-life.
You may know a lot about skateboarding and you might get some questions about its popularity and how much risk it brings.
Skateparks are a valuable community resource that provide the local and visiting action sports community with a safe place to ride. If you’re already familiar with the value of skateparks, feel free to skip down to the advocacy path and resources – but be sure to revisit these points if you decide to begin a project in your neighborhood.
Skateboarders, BMX Riders, Roller Skaters, Inline Skaters, Wheel Chair MotoCross (WCMX) riders, Adaptive Skaters and Scooter riders need a designated safe place for habitual recreation and community engagement.
Skateparks can be seen as a playground, a gym, a creative laboratory, a community center and much more.
We believe skatepark users encounter a physical and social environment that improves mental health, fosters community, and encourages diversity and resilience.
Skatepark users also engage in
Cooperative athleticism
Creative self expression
Diverse community engagement
Long term habitual exercise habits (without the restrictions of league costs, coaches or practice schedules)
Perseverance through repetition and self-set goal achievement
Emotional regulation
Inclusion
Risk analysis
For more information or studies about the impact and value of skateparks and action sports, click on the links to academic research studies in the next window, or take a look at the quotes at the bottom of the page.
If your town doesn’t have a skatepark, it is a skatepark.
Without a local skatepark, action sports enthusiasts of all ages and types don’t have a legal or safe place to practice their sport. They are forced to find what little space around town that can be skated, often illegally, leading to a contentious relationship with authority and lack of understanding of the value of the activity and the participant.
In the worst cases, skaters or bikers are forced to ride in or near busy streets, resulting in dangerous conditions. The vast majority of fatalities on a skateboard are traffic related.
When there is a local public skatepark in town, it becomes a popular gathering place for individuals to freely participate in their passion. To exercise, learn, create and self regulate. Recent academic research is revealing the benefits of skateparks and skateboarding:
A first-of-its-kind study of skateboarding culture from the University of Southern California reveals that skateboarding improves mental health, fosters community, and encourages diversity and resilience.
Communities that implement public skateparks quickly discover that it’s often the most utilized recreation facility in town. Scroll down to learn more.
Note: TSP staff is made up of skateboarders that value street skating and the creative ethos attached to it. Street skating will never disappear, but every one deserves access a safe place to ride without getting hassled.
Public Skateparks are the result of community collaboration in response to a lack of suitable action sports recreation space. Unfortunately skateparks are not yet automatically inserted into the common municipal Master Plan as more traditional athletic facilities are, like Baseball fields and Basketball courts are (fun fact: There used to be “No Stickball” signs for kids playing baseball in the streets when they didn’t have local ball field… Sound familiar?)
These days, some cities get on board early and develop public skateparks on their own accord, bringing in the locals to help with design and community engagement at a later stage. But in general, it usually takes a dedicated local to start the process. The local volunteer (advocate) starts by learning how the process works. They then help lead the project and learn along the way. They get a group together to help, get organized and start to gather support from the city and the public. They work with the city, raise awareness and help raise funds. The whole process takes about 2-5 years of a little time every week or so. It’s not for everyone, but every skatepark is made by someone like you stepping up to make change in their community.
The process of creating a public skatepark through activism/advocacy is outlined below. Check out this simple list to get a good idea of what it takes, then watch our Skatepark 101 video below. If you’re serious about starting a project, the Public Skatepark Development Guide will be your best friend throughout the process.
It’s a fairly straightforward process, with a few key steps. The order shifts a little bit, as some items happen around the same time. Projects initiated by city employees should include similar steps.
1) Build your Core Group (your local crew, parents of kids who skate, general supporters)
2) Establish Regular Meetings (weekly or bi weekly, time and location)
3) Make a Plan (name of group, size of park, main points, general guidelines of the project: be positive and prepared)
4) Connect with the City to create Steering Committee (Parks and Rec, City Council presentation, site selection, etc.)
5) Connect with a Skatepark Design/Construction Firm (continue refining your plan, begin design process)
6) Find a Place for Donations (most likely a local service organization acting as your bank or a fiscal sponsor)
7) Fundraise (most of the work, but there are a lot of fun events; you’ll meet the whole town, establishing yourself and team as the group creating the skatepark)
8) Prepare for Construction Process (work with the city, take steps to ensure quality, qualification process, construction bids, etc.)
9) Let it Happen!
Watch the Skatepark 101 Webinar to learn some of the fine points before starting or finishing a project.
You can also listen to a 20 minute podcast on how skateparks work.
If you’re seeking guidance on your very first actions in skatepark activism, check out our new Getting Started page on Skatepark.org.
If you”re in the middle of an existing skatepark project, use the contact form at the bottom of the page to connect with our staff. We’ll be happy to help if you have specific questions, want to enroll in our Technical Assistance Program, or apply for a grant.
Throughout your journey, be sure to learn as much as you can about all aspects of skatepark advocacy projects here: www.publicskateparkguide.org If you’re serious about a skatepark project, this is where to study up. The PSDG has everything you need to know about a skatepark project.
Skateparks build and sustain healthy communities. As a gathering place for dedicated, athletic youth, the skatepark provides the forum for visitors young and old, beginning and skilled, to meet and share experiences. For many skateboarding youth, the skatepark becomes a home-away-from-home.
More than anyone, young people need to feel like they are recognized and appreciated by their communities. In too many places skateboarders get the wrong message from local authorities who limit or outlaw skateboarding and ignore its inherent benefits. Skateparks are the solution. Every skatepark supports hundreds of kids that might otherwise have nowhere to go.
Not only does the local skatepark support Skateboarders, BMX riders, Roller Skaters, Scooter riders, Wheel Chair Motocross riders and inline skaters of all ages, genders and backgrounds, having access to attractive and accessible recreation facilities affects the broader health outcomes of of the community. Skatepark users mental, emotional and physical health is affected by their participation in their passion. These effects likely resonate through the rider’s relationships and into the community.
The Skatepark Project doesn’t build skateparks, we help people get skateparks built. This usually means ongoing conversations with advocates or city officials about the local skatepark project or citywide skatepark system. We offer free, unlimited support to assist project leaders in their efforts to follow best practices and avoid common pitfalls.
Our services can include:
-Technical Assistance
-Peer to Peer Learning Opportunities
-Workshops & Skatepark Summits (link to schedule below)
-Access to Learning Materials (Pubic Skatepark Guide.org, The Skatepark Podcast) (LINKS)
-Case Studies
-Letters of Support
-Social Media Acknowledgement
-Grant Funding
TSP Programs Department Support
Our team is ready and willing to support any skatepark project that fits our mission and priorities. Reach out to us at Contact@skatepark.org or use the contact form below.
Built To Play – If you live in SE Michigan or Western NY, you may be eligible to receive up to $300,000 in matching grants thanks to the Built to Play Program with support from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation
This support is brought to the public by supporters like you and our partnerships.
Manchester, VT
From Nolan Hillard, Long Trail School junior:
“Being a part of the Skatepark committee has given me the chance to experience civic involvement at a young age. Being a sixteen year old, the skatepark committee was a great way for me to take part in the community and be an active citizen and it gives me the chance to see how the system works from the inside. Over the course of the project, I became more confident and comfortable with the team members on the committee and I had the time to fully understand the new design and get used to the details of the new park. When I first joined the committee, I was under the impression that the skatepark project would be finished within 8 months at most but after being part of the process, I can see that anything involving a community takes time because there is a lot of coordination required.
The response to the project from my peers is very positive. I have had many kids come up to me at school and ask about when the skatepark will be built or any other details that they are interested in. Everyone who has asked questions about the park seems excited about the project and the outcome.
The skatepark is important to me because I really want to improve my skills on the scooter and the NEW skatepark is the perfect place for that. Another reason that the skatepark is important to me is that it is going to be a great attraction in Manchester which will bring people together and entertain thousands of people for years to come. The skatepark committee is a great thing to be part of and I can’t wait for everyone to enjoy the new park.”
“This has brought our community leaders together with merchants and skaters across all ethnicities and socio-economic levels to understand each other: from skaters wanting and needing a place to skate to business owners seeing the value of providing a place to skate so that our city as a whole isn’t a giant skatepark with the misperceptions that can come from it.”
-Whitney Pickering
“I learned that anything is possible and in 2019 I will be running for City Council.”
-Kyle Little
“There was no single project that was undertaken during my years as Mayor that had a bigger and more positive impact on the community. The skatepark is used constantly, it is used by people of all sizes, shapes, colors, genders, ages, you name it, people visit our skatepark, they love our skatepark and perhaps more importantly, they work very hard to protect and maintain our skatepark. It is emblematic of what community is all about and I could not be more proud to have been a part of making it happen. And more grateful to the The Skatepark Project for their role.”
Mayor Jennifer Laird White
“My involvement in the project has included engaging with local youth, which is a group I don’t interface with frequently in this role. It is positive to see this age group involved in a project in their community and I hope that the experience will encourage them to be engaged citizens throughout their lives.”
-Tom Devine, City of Salem.
“The park is used by skaters from early morning to late into the evening. The activity in the park has reduced or almost eliminated homeless people from living on the site. Business at the adjacent commercial businesses and restaurants has improved.”
– Maurice Kaufman, City of Emeryville
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