Parks Master Plans: Minneapolis North + South Service Areas

Parks Master Plans: Minneapolis North + South Service Areas

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Reflecting diverse community values and interests, these two separate Master Plans encompass 65+ unique neighborhood parks in Minneapolis' North and South service areas.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is one of the largest park systems in the nation, managing more than 6,700 acres of public land organized around five geographic Service Areas. Confluence was initially retained by MPRB to develop the South Service Area Master Plan - the first of the five area plans. Upon successful completion, our team was subsequently selected to complete the North Service Area Master Plan.

Both projects emphasized extensive community stakeholder participation and collaboration as an integral part of the planning process.  This included one of the largest public engagement processes ever undertaken in this region - coordinating 100+ events and activities using new methods to engage underserved populations, and including data-driven analysis to guide decisions.

The results provide new community-supported master plans to guide future growth and development of the parks in these service areas - representing 40% of MPRB's overall park system.