For an enhanced digital experience, read this story in the ezine.

Common sense tells us that to move forward and thrive, we must not let fear stop us from exploring what lies ahead. For nearly six decades, Parks & Recreation magazine has been a trusted go-to resource for the park and recreation community. NRPA’s flagship publication highlights the trends impacting the field and offers a voice to professionals who dedicate countless hours to ensuring people of all ages, cultures, identities and economic backgrounds have safe places to gather, play and make memories. That voice has evolved throughout the years to reflect our members’ changing interests and needs. As we close out 2024 with this month’s issue and look toward the future, it’s critical that we continue to grow alongside our park and recreation peers so that we remain relevant in the field and in our commitment to excellence.  

With this in mind, we are excited to share that Parks & Recreation magazine will transition to be fully digital by 2026. However, we are approaching this digital-first strategy in phases. In 2025, we will produce our regular monthly ezine (12 issues), of which five editions will be printed. Our analysis of the magazine and current editorial trends found that this shift is advantageous to the park and recreation field, our organization and our team in many ways, such as: 

• A digital platform allows us to reach a broader audience of park enthusiasts.  
• Content can be uploaded in real time and can include multimedia and interactive elements that make the magazine’s content more relevant and engaging.  
• This transition eliminates paper waste and carbon emissions from printing and distribution.  

This new plan forward also means being strategic about the contents of our editorial. Beginning in 2025, “Law Review” will publish four times a year. For more than 40 years, contributor James “KoZ” Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D., has been the principal voice on park and recreation case law with his monthly column. As we develop our content strategy, we will try new editorial offerings and reevaluate current offerings to meet the needs we are hearing from you — our readers and members. We are grateful to continue the partnership with Koz and highlight his legal expertise in the magazine.

Throughout these next several months, the Magazine team will navigate through this digital landscape with careful thought and decision making about available applications and tools that serve the best interest of our audience. Most importantly, our editors always welcome reader feedback. We look forward to celebrating this exciting next step for Parks & Recreation magazine and NRPA with you all and embracing what comes next.

Vitisia Paynich is Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation Magazine and Director of Print and Online Content at NRPA.