Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Dog Parks and Skate Parks

Dog Parks and Skate Parks? Meh.

This is the result when you have a 12 part vision statement and 57 near-term action items. You lack a sense of priority.

2 comments:

glbeach said...

I think if you look at the changing demographics of today's professional workforce, you will find 'dog parks' are something you want in your community. Lots of young people have a pet and want a place to allow that pet to roam without being on a leash. It is my perspective that this is an item that - done properly - will add value and appeal the younger, upscale (read working and earning) professional to our city. Allen has done an interesting job placing their dog park in the center of a major shopping area.

I have no opinion regarding skate board parks.

Mark Steger said...

Gary, you might be right. Years ago, when I was a young professional, I bought a house in Richardson because of its schools (places for kids). There just might be young professionals today looking to move and will pick a city based on its dog parks (places for pets), all other things being equal.

But everything else is rarely equal. When I bought a house, Richardson was a young city with plenty of attractive new and recently built houses to choose from. Those neighborhoods are aging now. Turning that around might be a higher priority for young professionals than dog parks. If we can have it all, great. But that's something else that's rarely possible. You have to prioritize.