The Metropolitan Council Regional Parks agency undertook a research study to better understand and provide for the outdoor recreational needs and preferences of young people.  After noting that youth engagement has been dropping since the 1990's, the Agency understood that connecting youth to the outdoors is essential to achieve the equitable outcomes required in the Met Council's 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan.

This report includes an overview of how they collaborated to engage youth, what engagement techniques worked and what didn't, and the key findings of their research. The GMRPTC encourages effective public engagement that builds equitable use among all Minnesotans.

Youth & Parks: Getting Outdoors Close to Home

The Trust for Public Land has released their ParkServe analysis tool, a comprehensive standardized database of local parks in nearly 14,000 cities, towns and communities across the U.S. ParkServe uses available GIS information to conduct an analysis of the distance between population and parks, defined as a 10 minute walkable service area among other criteria.

This analysis is a great tool for a broad look at the potential need for additional park space in your community, or to compare your community with others. We recommend using this as an initial analysis to explore your system, but also developing your own criteria that meets local public values for a more in-depth GIS analysis.

Park Serve Analysis Tool LINK

​This report is an outcome of research being conducted into the attraction, retention, and significance of new residents in south and western Minnesota, particularly Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac Qui Parle, Swift, and Yellow Medicine counties.

Finding good data on the local and regional population is an important part of any planning process, including master plans for regional parks. ​The MN State Demographic Center has reports and resources to investigate trends in our archive of publications, locate featured presentations and data guidance, and discover training opportunities to deepen one’s knowledge of demographic topics and data tools. Link HERE.

​This survey was administered to focus group participants in May and June, 2010.
The goal of the survey is to capture economic, social, and demographic characteristics of residents who have moved into the region. There were seven sessions held across seven communities of west central Minnesota.

​A group of regional economic development professionals have come together to address the issue of regional recruitment. Specifically, this group is interested in strategies to retain higher skill, higher wage demographics that are contributing to the “brain gain” phenomenon illustrated in data provided by the University of Minnesota Extension. Data has shown that those in the age range of 35 – 45 years are seeking out rural lifestyles and actually bringing education and wealth into the region despite the significant losses from younger demographics leaving for school, which is commonly referred to as the “brain drain”. By developing strategies that attract and retain the “brain gain” demographic this effort will further diversify the region with higher skill, higher wage jobs and is likely to increase entrepreneurship and job creation that would fulfill niches in the region that are currently un-served or under served.

​The Glass Half-Full: A New View of Rural Minnesota. Describing rural Minnesota can be a challenge. The structural changes we have witnessed in agriculture and manufacturing have certainly forced residents and decision makers to rethink our future. On top of this, literature is rife with descriptions of the loss of our children, the aging population, and outmigration. We believe this deficit view of our rural communities cannot continue to dominate our thinking about the future of our small towns.

​Using demographic analysis of data from the Decennial Censuses of 1990, 2000 and 2010, this report updates research that examines migration patterns in and out of rural areas by generational age cohorts. The study brings to light a little-examined phenomenon regarding the migration of people age 30 – 49 into rural areas across Minnesota