Virtual Education: Activate Communities

Mike Kendrick, Deputy Director - Parks, Port St Lucie Parks & Recreation
Suzanne Quinn, PhD, Manager of KOMPAN Play Institute, North America

Your playgrounds and outdoor fitness sites are a main attraction for the whole community. Active spaces have numerous benefits for overall health and community cohesion. But,how do you get the design right to not only attract people, but to retain them for longer periods of time? The answer is intentional design. In this session we will discuss design strategies that help playgrounds and outdoor fitness sites be the best they can be. Our session is backed by research from the KOMPAN Play Institute, and the broader literature. We will share specific examples from Port St Lucie, where the design approaches have attracted people of all ages and all abilities to play, exercise, and enjoy what the community has to offer.

Learning Objectives

• Learn about the research behind intentional design strategies for outdoor play and fitness areas.
• Discuss trends in outdoor play and fitness designs. 
• Apply intentional design strategies for outdoor playgrounds and fitness sites to their future projects.

About Mike: Mike Kendrick is the Deputy Director for the Parks and Recreation Department in the City of Port St Lucie. He has an Associate Degree of Applied Science in Golf Course Operations and a Bachelors degree in Organizational Management and is a graduate from FRPA's Abrahams Academy for Leadership Excellence in Parks and Recreation. He has over 25 years as a Golf Management and Construction and 16 years of experience with local government. In his current role, he creates and manages the Parks annual budget, conducts and oversees many Capital Improvement Projects, serves as the Departments Emergency Management Coordinator, and serves on the Grants Team, City Fiber Optic Committee, and High-Performance Pubic Spaces Team. 

About Suzanne: Suzanne Flannery Quinn, PhD (Syracuse University, USA) is the manager of KOMPAN Play Institute, Americas. Suzanne was formerly a Senior Lecturer and Programme convener of the MA Early Childhood Studies at the University of Roehampton, London, Froebel College, where she was a research member of the Early Childhood Research Centre. Suzanne conducts international research on children's active outdoor play. Suzanne is one of the editors of the 2018 Routledge Handbook of International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education along with J. L. Roopnarine, J. E. Johnson, and M. Patte.