The developers behind Crystal Lagoons, Island Resort a large entertainment district with a 10-acre lagoon proposed in Glendale are partnering with Mattel, Inc. to open an adventure park with a Hot Wheels-themed roller coaster, indoor go-karts, and a Thomas & Friends indoor attraction.
The events marked the latest in a growing number of extreme weather events that are impacting urban parks and green spaces: from devastating wildfires to violent wind storms and mass flooding.
“Climate change is impacting virtually all local, state and national parks to varying degrees,” says Kristine Stratton, president and CEO of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). “Extremes run from too much water in too short a time to drought conditions … and associated worsening air and water quality.”
Yet Stratton says that few resources exist to help park and recreation professionals, who serve nearly every community and manage over 11 million acres of land across the United States, to analyze and identify the impact of these changes and to put in place or tweak mitigation and adaptation strategies.