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Recreation
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City of Roswell
P.O. Drawer 1838
Roswell, NM 88202-1838
(505) 624-6700
Fax: 624-6889 |
THE LEISURE INCIDENT
"A Good Community"
September 10, 2001
Mr. Kim Elliott, CPRP
Recreation Director
City of Roswell, NM
What makes a good community?
After reviewing several research studies to be included in a book, Benefits
of Leisure edited by Driver, Brown and Peterson in 1991, Mr. Erik Cohen of
the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology of The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem made the following statement (pp.443).
"While leisure activities were shown to help alleviate--if not to
resolve--the social problems affecting late modern society, they also appear
to contain the potential to become the main vehicle for the enhancement of
the quality of life in the future postmodern society. . . this potential has
yet to be fully proven and comprehended by planners and policymakers.
As Mr. Spock of Star Trek might say, "It's logical!" Park and
Recreation professionals have seen and known this "potential" for
years. However, planners and policymakers are just now beginning to request this
information because the communities they live in are demanding that these
services and opportunities be provided. Why? Because people want to live in a
"good community".
So, what makes a good community?
A good community is based upon the quality of services it provides for an
overall quality of life. These services range from Police, Fire, Water, Sewer,
Education and Leisure services such as can be found in Parks and Recreation. A
good community is based upon all of the above. All are important! All are needed
to create a positive quality of life. All should be considered as foundational
building blocks of a community!
Current economic thought states that satisfied people are more inclined to
stay in the community, if all of a sudden they find themselves unemployed. They
will look for new jobs or try to create other opportunities for employment, all
because of wanting to live where the quality of life if good. They become
individuals who then give to the community and not just take. The key is in
providing for a good community!
That brings us back to the question, "What makes a good community?"
A good community is one where the people are satisfied. A good community is
one where leisure services are considered to be a foundational building block of
a strong community. A good community has positive activities and opportunities
for youth, young adults and seniors. A good community cares about environmental
issues and balances them with the needs of the community. A good community plans
for the development and construction of new recreational facilities as needed. A
good community sees leisure service development as an important economic factor
and strives to maintain existing recreational facilities. A good community is a
community that addresses quality of life issues.
As Mr. Cohen says, "… they (leisure activities) also appear
to contain the potential to become the main vehicle for the enhancement of the
quality of life in the future postmodern society…" It is logical when
we begin to look around us at our current society and really pay attention at
what is driving our economy.
The Leisure Incident is one of the foundational blocks that help to build a
good community!
Parks and Recreation - The Benefits are Endless!
