There’s nothing quite like the excitement of a new idea.
The boldest, most innovative ones reimagine the way we see the world. Think mind-blowing technological advances, like East Bay Regional Park District’s Carbonator (featured in our June issue). But even the less ambitious ones can reenergize everyday tasks and processes. What was once boring and dreadful becomes vivid and enjoyable. Novelty is powerful.
But new ideas aren’t always easy to come by.
In the world of creative writing, we often talk about the muse—this mysterious entity that drops ideas down out of nowhere. These are the strokes of genius that pop into our heads during a shower or the drive to work, leaving us scrambling to get them on paper before they disappear.
Young writers tend to think they can sit in front of their laptops, beads of sweat building on their foreheads, and force ideas onto the page. It makes sense that they’d believe this. We writers are often encouraged to show up and write every day regardless of what we have to say. But often, this isn’t an idea-generation ritual. We show up to write every day so that our muscles are warmed up and ready to go when that genius idea finally arrives. Our daily writing practice is what helps us shape that idea into something usable—once we’ve got it, that is.
Ideas are a little easier to come by in parks, rec, and camps thanks to resources like our Idea Book, which makes up the bulk of this issue. This is our annual smorgasbord of products and services from the best industry vendors, designed to wow, inform, and inspire. Rather than wait for the unpredictable muse to show up with solutions, you can simply flip through the pages and find what speaks to you most.
Every issue of PRB+ is packed with great ideas, and I hope you feel inspired when each month’s edition reaches your inbox or mailbox. But the Idea Book ups the ante, overflowing with suggestions to ensure the coming seasons are operationally seamless for your teams and optimally rewarding for your residents. This catalog of ideas takes the guesswork out of innovation, offering you readymade solutions for many of the most common issues.
Whether you’re redesigning an aging playground, rethinking your winter maintenance strategy, or brainstorming programming ideas for 2025, there’s something here for every agency. So, grab your Post-its, gather your staff, and start marking the pages that get everyone excited. We’re proud of this issue, like all the others, but we’ll be even prouder to see these ideas in action in the field and hear about how they’re positively impacting your important work.
Simply put, the Idea Book is a book of ideas—but given the limitless potential of the best ideas, it’s a lot more than that, too.
