Standard: The agency shall have level of service (LOS) standards for provision of land, facilities and services within the jurisdiction. LOS standards are a type of performance measure associated with equitable provision service, such as the number of facilities per 1,000 residents in a service area or facilities available within a designated travel distance or travel time, e.g. percent of population that have a park within a 10 minute walk. LOS standard can also address other dimensions of equitable access, such as connectivity, maintenance and affordability, e.g. percent of parkland connected to the trail network.
Suggested Evidence of Compliance: Provide the LOS standards and describe how LOS standards are used to establish facility and service priorities.
Informational reference in the Management of Park and Recreation Agencies, (2010), 3rd Ed., Chapter 11 – Physical Resource Planning, pp. 223-224.
Agency Evidence of Compliance:
Oak Park's geographical boundaries and population pose open space challenges unique to most communities in the United States. According to the 2010 US Census, Oak Park has over 52,000 residents in 4.7 square miles making it one of the Top 100 most densely incorporated places in the United States, ranking even high than urban areas like Miami, Florida and Washington DC. Because of this, the Park District is unable to rely on traditional standards to plan for parks and facilities and has adopted its own Level of Service (LOS) standards1.These standards are updated at least every 10 years in conjunction with the development of the Park District Comprehensive Plan using results from a needs assessment, benchmarking results, and knowledge of the practical and physical constraints of Oak Park.
The Park District's Park Master Plans Policy2 requires that these planning documents and standards are be taken into consideration during park and facility master planning processes, which occur for each park site a minimum of every 10 years.
Documentation:
Agency Self Assessment: MET