Regional park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Regional park is a term used for an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government. This can be a special park district covering a region crossing several jurisdictions or a park system of a defined region, where a region is like a U.S. state.
In the U.S., the term is also used in urban areas to refer to parks (usually large ones) that because of their special attractions draw visitors from the entire region. These parks, which usually have many uses including commercial activities (such as weddings), require a higher level of management compared to smaller parks such as recreation centers and pocket parks that have fewer purposes and serve only local residents.
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[edit] Regional parks by country
[edit] Italy
Regional parks in Italy are administered by each region in Italy, a government unit like a U.S. state.
[edit] New Zealand
- Main article: Regional parks of New Zealand
In New Zealand regional parks are administered by regional councils rather than the Department of Conservation or territorial authorities.
[edit] United States
In the United States a regional park is sometimes referred to as a Metropolitan Park (Metropark). The terms "region" and "metropolitan" have no precise meaning in US local government. Regional parks are administered by a regional park board rather than the National Park Service, a state, county or other unit of local government. A special authority can be set up, under the joint jurisdiction of two or more government bodies or as an independent park district to administer parks. Individual parks may or may not cross governmental boundaries. The park district holds the authority to manage and raise taxes to cover costs. This is similar to district libraries or fire protection districts. In Ohio, under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1545, metro parks such as the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks can have their own sworn police forces (rangers).
Other examples of Regional Parks are the East Bay Regional Park District in California; Huron-Clinton Metroparks in southeast Michigan; and the Three Rivers Park District in Minnesota.
In the City of Los Angeles park system, larger parks with significant natural areas such as Griffith Park and O'Melveny Park are considered to be regional parks.
