Making Parks More Inviting

We've been to many different community parks all throughout Tucson Arizona. One thing that we've noticed within these parks is that some are not in very good shape and don't seem very inviting, while other parks are very engaging and very inviting.

For example, the Thomas Jay Regional Park isn't very well maintained or inviting. Graffiti, trash on the fields, dry fields, little shade, no public art, and dirty, low quality bathrooms were some of the issues we found at Thomas Jay.

As you can see in the pictures, the fields at Thomas Jay Park are dead, some graffiti, and no shade, especially on the basketball court.

Brandi Fenton Memorial Park has plenty of shade, wildlife, and nature is abundant and being well maintained. The park has countless examples of public art to enjoy, unlike Thomas Jay. The park is a ton bigger and has more activities and fun things to do.

As you can see, Brandi Fenton Memorial Park has way nicer bathrooms than Thomas Jay, such as being clean, shaded, and a place to park your bike. The park also has shaded basketball courts, with lights, unlike Thomas Jay. The park also has a splash pad!

Brandi Fenton Park also has issues that are not resolved yet. Examples of this would be; homelessness, and some graffiti.

Issues found in both parks seem to be graffiti and homeless. Some possible ways to resolve these issues are by recovering the graffiti with fresh paint, adding cameras or hidden cameras, and the homeless must be moved into something such as a homeless shelter.

Based on the chart, it really shows how unequal these parks really are! Brandi Fenton wins Thomas Jay in everything, such as eight ramadas and tables, while Thomas Jay only has two. Also, Brandi Fenton has three dog parks, one for each size, as for Thomas Jay, zero!

This infographic from PPS shows what makes a great place, like a park. Brandi Fenton includes all of the key attributes in orange and most of the intangibles in green! For example, Brandi Fenton is historic, attractive, charming, fun, welcoming, walkable, real, and many more! While Thomas Jay doesn't have as many intangibles or strong attributes. As a result, based on PPS, the Brandi Fenton Memorial Park has accomplished being a Great Place, Thomas Jay has not yet done that.

Some possible ways to improve Thomas Jay is to add more activities and fun things to do there. For example, Brandi Fenton has a splash pad, and an exercise station. Maybe Thomas Jay can install some of these? Also, another way for Thomas Jay to improve is if a dog park could be added. It will definitely be more welcoming, to people and to animals, if there is not only a park for humans, but a park for dog owners and their dogs. The park can also be more welcoming if there are better quality restrooms. At Brandi Fenton, their restrooms are clean, shaded, and well maintained, and Thomas Jay can do the same! A final way Thomas Jay can improve is if there is more shade for people to relax and enjoy! You saw Brandi Fenton, eight ramadas, and shaded basketball courts, and if Thomas Jay can do that, they will be a more welcoming park!

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HbN_cCRbml3inKQikUG8QYfikQX-3o9H/view?usp=drive_link 

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-aQqDxDx4_uYQMsR4W0VenfQ7M7qeOIY/view?usp=sharing