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Anatomy of a Park Essentials of Recreation Area Planning and Design 09-17-15 | News

Anatomy of a Park Essentials of Recreation Area Planning and Design
210 pages, hardcover, $54.95 list Publisher: Waveland Press, Inc.

Developers of eight large commercial projects began planning in August, triggering a 2.8 percent hike in the Dodge Momentum Index.

The Fourth Edition of Anatomy of a Park is an expanded view of the practice, business and administration of park design. The author includes information gathered from interviews with professionals in the U.S. and abroad.

Author Donald Molnar, FASLA, a principal at Drumlin Group (landscape architectural people and practice finder), was professor and chair of landscape architecture at Purdue University for 20 years. He is a past president of the Indiana ASLA Chapter, and was elected an ASLA Fellow in 1991.

Highlights of the fourth edition include:

• Three-dimensional site plans and topographic maps with helpful hints for interpretation of the planning and construction documents shared by designers and clients.
• Expanded coverage of the broad issues of green design and the philosophy of sustainable practice.
• Economics of park design: getting more park for your money and getting more money for your park.
• Richly illustrated discussion on the right and wrong ways to design seating arrangements • Latest developments in pervious pavement for stormwater management.
• Survival for plants in dense urban environments.
• Guidelines for the client seeking a consulting designer and the designer seeking a client, from initiation to finished park.

• More examples and discussion of the relationships and purposes of the elements of park design, plus expert opinions on what makes a good park versus a great park.
• Ways to maximize a park budget: grant applications, sponsorship, partnerships and volunteerism.
The book is for park designers of all stripes"?ulandscape architects, architects and engineers, but also to help educate clients, e.g., park and rec directors. It is also an excellent text for landscape architecture students.
Theresa Herrick, PhD, professor of recreation and park administration at Arkansas Tech University, has used Anatomy of a Park as a foundation textbook for her course in site planning and design for parks for 30 years. "I have found the planning principles to be very useful, and I utilize the planning/design process outlined in the text for my students' master plan projects. The information about grants and partnerships in Chapter 9 was a great addition to the third edition."

The chapters cover:
1. Context: Past and Present
2. Umbrella Considerations
3. Aesthetic Considerations
4. Functional Considerations
5. Plan Interpretation
6. Site Design Process
7. Plan Evaluation
8. Establishing the Client-Consultant Relationship
9. Good Park, Great Park
10. The Bottom Line
In addition, there are 6 appendices for reference:
1: Selected Park and Activity Size and Facility Standards
2: Selected Game Area Size Standards
3: Field and Court Games
4: Responses of Selected Trees to Recreational Use
5: Suitability of Soils for Recreational Use
6: Agencies and Organizations Offering Technical Assistance

Note: All the illustrations in the book are drawings. There is no photography.