TRENDS INTO POSSIBILITES What Lies Ahead

By Dr. Ellen O’Sullivan Leisure Lifestyle Consulting

Trends into Possibilities is created by Dr. Ellen O’Sullivan for the California Park & Recreation Society. Questions, comments, and suggestions are welcomed. Please contact Ellen at Ellenosull@gmail.com

Welcome to another new year and of course, there are emerging trends to report for 2023 and beyond. Trends can sometimes mean good reading but there are two other options when examining trends: Possibilities and Practices.

Possibilities

The entire agency or even individuals within the agency come up with 2-3 ideas that may be possible for the organization and then decide to be on the lookout for such opportunities.

Practices

This is the most optimum choice whereby 2-3 ideas are identified and then implemented.

So, when reading the trend information listed be on the lookout for possibilities and practices that might apply to your organization or program/ service area.

Trend-Watching Takes on Trends

Trend-Watching refers to itself as another traditional trends firm for a couple of reasons. The firm is determined to gather and disseminate trend information that is actionable AND because it is quite generous sharing trend information at no cost. Go to trendwatching.com to learn more.

These trends for 2023 and beyond identified by Trend-Watching are:

1. Age of Healing

Consumers seek new routes to enlightenment

The pursuit of self-improvement is giving way to self-transformation mostly due to the pandemic experience. People’s definition of wellness is moving beyond the physical to encompass mental, emotional, spiritual and social health. In fact, 76% of global citizens now say that mental health and physical health are equally important.

2. Aided By AI

Consumers seek assistance via AI

This could mean a number of things among them contactless solutions. An emphasis upon seamless change or attention. Watch how this happens as 43% of adults have indicated that technology has complicated their lives

3. Behavi:OUR

Make way for values led segmentation

The old world of marketing through demographics, i.e., age, education, income, etc. has been supplanted by values and passion. The most recent rise of gender variations is just one such aspect of the need to zero in on the values and lifestyles of a market segment.

4. Brand Beings

From authenticity to action

People will become increasingly cognizant as to how certain companies, organizations and brands take on the role of delivering action on issues that are important to people. Intentions or value statements just don’t cut it anymore.

5. Creator Inc.

Enterprization of Consumers

Businesses and organizations are not the only players in town. Individuals have become mini-business people as they are busily creating content and products and providing services for others.

6. For You

Curation that empowers individuals’ uniqueness to flourish. One size no longer fits all

Curation refers to organizing and maintaining a particular service to meet the needs of individuals which will likely result in a supportive role rather than a direct service role due to the large number of preferences.

7. Freedonism

Fun becomes the ultimate antidote to fear

The pandemic may have started us down this path, but the onslaught of nonstop and unpredictable change has helped the value. 72% of Gen Xers globally now identify fun as their number one value.

8. Glass Box Transparency

There are no secrets anymore

9. Joyning

Finding meaningful connections in a lonely world

TIPS has long provided growing evidence of this situation. The groups of people especially impacted are teens, young adults, and the elderly.

10. Metaphysical

An evolved Internet

Physical and technological convergences are leading to the next online evolution. At the same time, globally 64% of people have indicated that they have purchased a virtual product or had a virtual experience.

11. Power to People

Citizens are taking back control

This is fairly self-explanatory with evidence of it in all aspects of life.

12. Precariousness

Continual adjustment to an uncertain world

This trend surfaced in a big way during the pandemic and continues to be a constant.

MEGATRENDS by SALZMAN

In 1982, Alvin Toffler was the author of a best-selling book, Megatrends: Ten New Directions Changing our Lives. The method used by Toffler was to gather evidence of smaller aspects of life that when taken together form a more significant, overriding direction or trend. Since that time “megatrends” has been a widely used concept.

A more recent illustration of megatrends for the future lies within Marian Salzman’s recent book, New Megatrends – Seeing Clearly in this Age of Disruption. Salzman’s list of megatrends is not as linear as Toffler’s and includes several themes:

• the pandemic and its impact upon society and the world

• the great reboot partially due to the data explosion

• beating the clock that predicts a work world when people work according to their biological clock, lifestyle and household arrangements

• climate change with a focus on starvation, loss of resources, and damages inflicted by floods and fires. Some stats included within this book of interest include:

• Amazon has tripled its number of warehouses in Southern California since 2020

• Attributes of Metaverse as people opt out of real life and using their avatar for some sense of control

• Wealthier communities now employ crisis concierge

• There are more people living in LA than people living in CT, OK, NV, MI, and 19 other states

• Off the grid, tiny houses will be the new country home as respite from modern life and escape from emergency situations

• Gender identification of all kinds will remain an issue until norms are established

• The multi-mandate – multi-generations, multi-lingual, multi-racial

Creating Possibilities and Practices

Many of these opportunities, whether they become possibilities or practices may incorporate more than one trend at a time. Here are two examples of possibilities that became practice.

Park in a Truck – Creating a Small Park with the Neighbors

Two professors at Jefferson University created this “Park in a Truck” led by Kimberly Douglas of Landscape Architecture and joined by Drew Harris of the Public Health. There are 40,000 vacant spaces in Philadelphia. The process they devised resulted in turning open spaces into much simpler parks that reflected the preferences of the neighborhood and happened much more quickly. It is a relatively simple process

Local residents are given the resources and training to design, build and maintain parks on unused land in their own neighborhoods. These residents decide whether it’s a place to grow vegetables, a setting to show off local art and culture, a space for child play, or simply a green place for rest and relaxation.

There are no permits or special permissions required as the park is built on top of the ground with no special fencing, foundation, or footings

There are a variety of resources and information that can be found on the Internet including specific assistance.

LA County Parks and the Pandemic

Norma Edith Garcia-Gonzales was named Director of the LA County Parks at the height of the pandemic. At this time LA County Parks were overcrowded, especially in lower income areas with people trying to deal with the life changes of the pandemic. Fast Company, a business publication with a focus on innovation, named GarciaGonzales as one of the innovators of the year.

The agency did a 180 turn and transformed parks into community centers by providing covid testing, food banks and other community services required by those times. This is a perfect example as to how parks and recreation can address needs rather than just interests of communities.

This TIPs was devised by Dr. Ellen O’Sullivan. Comments and questions can be addressed to her at ellenosull@ gmail.com