How ORPR is shaping the future of parks and recreation

On any given day, a graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign might be found leading a focus group in a small Illinois town, presenting data to local officials or helping design the future of a community park. It’s not a simulation—it’s real work with real impact, made possible by the Office of Recreation and Park Resources.

Since its founding in the mid-1960s by Joseph Bannon, Ph.D., ORPR—which is affiliated with the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism in the College of Applied Health Sciences at Illinois—has been guided by a simple but powerful vision: connect research to real-world practice while strengthening communities through parks and recreation. Decades later, that vision is not only alive: it’s expanding to enhance ORPR’s reach and impacts.

In recent years, ORPR has worked with more than 20 community and nonprofit organizations, helping them tackle challenges ranging from facility planning to capacity building toward helping communities enhance their health and quality of life for their residents. At the heart of this work is a commitment to service, education and collaboration.

“We take our lead from the communities, as they are experts of their own communities and we partner with them on their projects,” said Laura Payne, director of ORPR. “Students gain hands-on experience while helping organizations make meaningful, data-informed decisions.”

That hands-on experience is transformative. Students don’t just learn theory; they conduct focus groups, analyze survey data and present recommendations to real clients. For many, it becomes a defining part of their professional journey.

“The experience I gained with ORPR helped my application stand out,” said Aaron Hoyle-Katz, a recent master’s graduate who secured a park planner position with the Champaign County Forest Preserve District. “I wasn’t just learning about planning—I was doing it.”

ORPR’s impact extends far beyond the classroom. In Naperville, a needs assessment conducted by ORPR revealed strong demand for a multipurpose recreation facility—insight that guided efforts to secure funding for a new community activity center and to acquire additional land to preserve, restore and maintain parks and extend multiuse trails. In the village of Brookfield, feasibility studies are shaping the future of local multipurpose community recreation spaces.

Perhaps one of the most compelling examples comes from the village of Crete. There, ORPR partnered with multiple municipal agencies to conduct a comprehensive community needs assessment. Through shared planning workshop sessions, the Park District, Library District, Village and Township aligned around common goals.

The results were tangible. Community feedback highlighted priorities such as expanded bike infrastructure, more youth and adult programming and the need for a central gathering space. Since the project concluded, Crete has already acted, purchasing and transforming a building into a community center.

For students, projects such as these often evolve into deeper research opportunities. Hoyle-Katz, for example, conducted his thesis research on trail development in Crete, uncovering both community concerns and opportunities for collaboration. Another graduate student, Ryan McGrath, partnered with the Illinois Park and Recreation Association to study how agencies responded to the COVID-19 pandemic—work that now helps guide future resilience planning.

ORPR’s reach also extends into the classroom. Through partnerships with courses such as the Community and Open Space Design Studio in the Department of Landscape Architecture, students collaborate directly with municipalities such as Rock Island, helping reimagine parks such as Mel McKay Park while gaining invaluable design and planning experience.

Looking ahead, ORPR continues to push the boundaries of research and practice. In collaboration with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the team is assessing research on the economic, social and health outcomes of trails to assist in developing an impact calculator that will help communities demonstrate the return on investment in multiuse trails. They are also working on initiatives to position parks and trails as solutions to social isolation and loneliness.

At its core, ORPR is more than a program—it’s a bridge. Between students, educators and professionals. Between research, education and real-world application. And between communities and the resources they need to thrive.

When students leave here, they’re not just prepared—they’re experienced. And the organizations they serve professionally and communities we work with are stronger because of it.

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