Neighborhood parks, which generally range in size up to , serve as a social and recreational focal points for neighborhoods and are the basic units of a park system. Many include a

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

. Neighborhood parks provide relief from the built environment for residents. They may offer a range of facilities and passive or active (programmed or unprogrammed) recreation in response to demographic and cultural characteristics of surrounding neighborhoods, with opportunities for interaction with nature. Neighborhood parks are largely accessible by foot,

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

, or

public transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

within at least a quarter-mile radius from residences, providing easy access especially for children and senior adults. Types of

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

parks include mini-parks, or pocket parks, and may be further described by their predominant recreational offering. They may provide greenscape, recreation centers, sports fields, or playgrounds. A greenscape is a landscaped park, often with a large un-programmed lawn, primarily for passive recreation. A recreation center is a facility that supports myriad park activities, including sports and other recreational activities appropriate to the population or community that uses the park. pocket parks are the smallest in size, designed to serve the immediate surrounding neighborhood. Generally, size limits the ability to serve multiple recreational functions. Many park systems are underfunded and rely upon grassroots neighborhood-park groups and associations. Many of these groups join together in broad coalitions to advocate for better park maintenance and government accountability.

Location and access

A neighborhood park should be centrally located, if possible, within its service area and should be uninterrupted by non-residential roads or other physical barriers. The site should be generally flat and usable. It should be accessible by way of interconnecting

trails A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

, public transportation, sidewalks, or low-volume residential streets. A neighborhood park primarily serves residents within about 1/4 mile of the park, without physical or social barriers to the boundaries. Ease of access from the surrounding neighborhood, central location, and linkage to greenways are key concerns when selecting a new park site. The site itself should allow active and passive recreation uses. Since one of the primary reasons people go to a park is to experience a pleasant outdoor environment, the site should exhibit some innate aesthetic qualities. “Left-over” parcels of land that are undesirable for development are not generally desirable for neighborhood parks. The expressed wishes of nearby residents should guide the development or redevelopment plans for each park. Creating a sense of place by bringing together the unique characteristics of the site with the vision of the neighborhood is vital.

Amenities

Essential

*Park

Signage Signage is the design or use of signs and symbols to communicate a message. A signage also means signs ''collectively'' or being considered as a group. The term ''signage'' is documented to have been popularized in 1975 to 1980. Signs are any ...

{{citation needed, date=September 2016 (park name and relevant code signage) *

Turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricultu ...

area *

Perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

beds *Benches *Paths *

Dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

bag dispensary and signage *Trash can *

Trees In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...

*Opportunity for at least one active use

Ideal

Flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

beds *

Lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylig ...

*Informational

kiosk Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Iran, Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist ...

Bathrooms A bathroom or washroom is a room, typically in a home or other residential building, that contains either a bathtub or a shower (or both). The inclusion of a wash basin is common. In some parts of the world e.g. India, a toilet is typically i ...

Barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...

grills and picnic area *Drinking Fountain *Trash receptacles, including

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

bins *Lighting *Bicycle parking *

Public art Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...

*Recreation Center *Clubhouse *Swimming pool *Children's play area *Athletic fields and courts *

Trails A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

* Reserved open space Parks