This master plan, named Plan to Play, serves as a new model for park and greenway master plans. It breaks the traditional mold of simply identifying the amount or type of additional park land, programs, or facilities needed for the next phase of growth, it also aligns the operational and financial investment required. Plan to Play quantifies the economic benefits of parks from increasing property values, tourism dollars, human health, recreation use, stormwater infiltration, and air pollution removal, and positions public parks and greenways as infrastructure vital to a successful and functioning city. This placement aligns Metro Parks as critical infrastructure just like our roads, sewer, and water system.

Continuing to break the mold, the plan does not simply state that the department needs additional funding to implement improvements; it outlines a detailed strategy to diversify and increase departmental funding to support the recommendations. Nashville’s park system has the opportunity to lead the way, and Plan to Play provides the direction to grow and manage this important public infrastructure for the future of the city.