City and county leaders throughout America are investing heavily in upgrading local parks and recreation assets. They are transforming aging facilities into modern, multi-use public spaces that enhance quality of life environments for citizens and stimulate local economies. This is more than a passing trend. According to the 2025 Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore Index, this investment trend is reaching record high levels. Surprisingly, approximately 76 percent of urban residents now live within a ten-minute walk to a park, and average municipal spending per resident on parks and recreation has continued to climb in spite of broader budget pressures. The findings, released in May 2025, show cities increasingly treating parks as critical public infrastructure that supports climate resilience, public health, and community connections.
This nationwide reinvestment wave reflects a strategic shift. Parks are being redesigned not only to meet modern accessibility and environmental standards but also to drive economic vitality, attract tourism, and strengthen social equity through better access to nature and recreation.
City leaders in Seattle are planning a $61.2 million project to upgrade a parks and recreation complex. The plan calls for replacing the aging Green Lake Community Center and the Evans Pool, which are both located in one of the city’s most popular and historically significant recreation facilities. The existing facility was built 90 years ago, and it has reached the end of its useful life and can no longer meet accessibility requirements or community programming needs.
A modern community center, state-of-the-art pool, and outdoor recreation area will be redesigned to serve residents of all ages. Planned features include a new playground, outdoor basketball courts, a covered porch, and on-site parking. The redevelopment will also expand public open spaces and improve connections to the surrounding park and waterfront trail system. Officials are currently finalizing a conceptual design and that effort, along with the required permitting, will likely continue through 2026. Construction is expected to begin in 2027.
A $190 million project to replace San Francisco’s Ocean Beach Pier will soon launch in California. The project will replace the existing storm-damaged structure and provide sustainability, access, and new life to the historic pier location that has been ravaged by storms and rough surfs for many years. The existing pier will be demolished at the start of construction.
Plans call for the replacement pier to have the same footprint but with the addition of an elevated deck to improve sightseeing and wave resilience. It will be designed to create attractive new gathering spaces including an open-air plaza with built-in seating and other amenities such as a bait-and-gift shop, surfers’ lounge and restaurant. Environmental reviews have started, and permitting work is underway. The city expects to issue solicitation documents in early 2028 and construction will begin in 2029.
Officials with the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, will invest $65 million to construct what will become known as the Mississippi River Learning Center. The objective is to deliver a first-of-its-kind environmental learning campus to connect residents and visitors to the Mississippi River through education, recreation, and cultural programming. The project will transform the Watergate marina site in Crosby Farm Regional Park into a mixed-use riverfront destination that includes a new headquarters for the National Park Service’s Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Designed as a public-private collaboration among the city of Saint Paul, the National Park Service, and regional non-profits, the MRLC will serve as a year-round center for environmental learning and outdoor exploration. Key features include classrooms, exhibits, gathering spaces, kayak and canoe access points, and outdoor learning areas to highlight the river’s ecology and cultural history. The 25-acre site will feature sustainable design principles, including restorative landscape strategies. Design development and permitting work will continue through 2025. Construction bidding and phased construction are expected to begin in 2026.
A $414.29 million initiative in Oklahoma City will update and expand the city’s parks and recreation facilities. This year, voters approved a general obligation bond that provides financial support to fund 31 parks and facilities projects. The approved projects are collectively one of the most significant recreation investments in the city’s history.
Projects will include major facility improvements and new construction across the park network. Work will include the construction of a $21 million East District maintenance facility, a $23 million project to update an aquatic facility at Will Rogers Park, and a $35 million modernization effort at the USA Softball Complex. Other significant projects are also included. A $22.5 million is planned for the new Swisher Park, a $15 million phase 3 effort at Route 66 Park, and a $14.49 million renovation initiative at Bicentennial Park and the Civic Center Music Hall. Additionally, the city will invest $50 million in Phase 2 of the city’s multipurpose stadium, which will expand seating capacity to approximately 16,000, when completed.
This all-inclusive plan to renovate aquatic and athletic facilities, enhance trails and open spaces, repair major civic venues, and improve community centers and nature areas is an integral part of the city’s commitment to upgrade its parks and recreation assets. Delivery will be phased over several years and the first construction solicitations will be released in 2026.
These types of projects will continue because city leaders realize that modernizing, expanding and revitalizing parks and recreation facilities delivers returns that reach far beyond leisure. Upgraded public spaces strengthen neighborhood cohesion, attract tourism and new businesses. They also create equitable access for nature and wellness opportunities. As the examples in Seattle, San Francisco, Saint Paul, and Oklahoma City show, upgrades to parks, recreation, and community gathering spaces represent a shift in how urban leaders think about public infrastructure – not as static assets to be maintained, but as dynamic, multi-purpose properties with great potential to enhance a city’s social, economic, and environmental future. The investments being made in these upcoming projects, along with hundreds of others, will provide an abundance of future opportunities tied to collaboration and innovation as public officials continue to upgrade and reimagine public asset spaces for generations to come.
Photo by Zino Bang from Pexels
This story is a part of the weekly Government Contracting Pipeline digital news publication. See more of the latest government contracting news here. For more national government news, check Government Market News daily for new stories, insights and profiles from public sector professionals.
