Featured image by Marina Hanna.
Did you know safety is a key concern for Austin’s parks, trails and green spaces?
During the Austin Parks & Recreation Department’s Long Range Planning process, they asked Austinites what they’d like to see in the next 10 years. Safety, especially a lack of lighting after dark, surfaced as a concern for Austinites.
In order to have a cleaner and safer park, Austinites recognize that parks are not being adequately maintained. They see issues with the lack of lighting, ranking sixth on the list of what keeps people from using the parks.
Now, Austin Parks Foundation and PARD are looking to invest in important amenities to ensure parks feel safe after dark! Take a look at what Austinites said about our city's parks:
You Can Help Austin Parks
Help Austin Parks Foundation improve parks all over Austin with important maintenance and renovations like lighting. Your donation helps complete projects that otherwise couldn't be done.
Join our Advocacy email list to get the latest action alerts straight to your inbox. We'll keep you in the loop on how you can support underfunded parks, trails and green spaces in Austin.
Making Austin's Parks Safer for Everyone
Austin Parks and Recreation is dedicated to increasing staff and volunteers to make our parks safer. Sufficient lighting is important to overall safety in the parks, especially along trails and pathways after dark. Here's a few ways PARD is working to increase park safety:
Incorporate Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED)
CPTED is a set of best practices that leverage design to reduce crime and improve the perception of safety by maximizing visual and physical access in and out of a space and improving lighting among other strategies.
Updated Lighting is Dark Sky Friendly and Meets International Standards
Appropriate lighting will (1) increase visibility by reducing glare and shadows; (2) help preserve the experience of seeing stars; and (3) minimize disruption of ecosystem functions that rely on day-night cycles.
About Austin Parks Foundation
APF provides funding to parks in need through our grants program, hosts volunteer opportunities to maintain and beautify Austin's parks, advocates for park funding and much more. Austin's parks system is vastly underfunded. Check out this video to learn more about the work we're doing to bridge the financial gap in Austin's parks: