NEW HAMPSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSIONS
This segment is another in a series highlighting NHARPC’s efforts to provide education on planning-related topics.
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Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) and Recreation Planning By Jackson Rand (GIS Planner, Strafford Regional Planning Commission), Shayna Sylvia (Communications & Outreach Planner, Strafford Regional Planning Commission), and Stacey Doll (Community Resiliency Planner, North Country Council) Preface The primary role of a Regional Planning Commission (RPC) is to support local municipalities in their planning and community development responsibilities. This is done in a variety of ways such as: • • • • •
Assisting communities in preparing local planning documents, Providing technical assistance and general guidance to local land use boards, Helping to secure funding for transportation and other infrastructure projects, Working with municipalities to obtain and administer state and federal grant programs, and Reducing costs to municipalities through regional coordination and intermunicipal cooperation.
Introduction
Regional Planning Commission’s (RPC) have a long history of providing data, services, and technical assistance related to the land conservation and protection of natural resources and recreational opportunities. As more data becomes available and mapping technologies advance, the capabilities in which RPCs can support local communities with recreation planning becomes open-ended. Both Strafford Regional Planning Commission and North Country Council have leveraged these advances despite their differences in geographic conditions and the natural resources available. Many recognize the North Country as a mecca of sorts for outdoorsmen seeking adventures in the White Mountains, while SRPC boasts access to the Atlantic Ocean via several rivers and over 300 recreational sites and resources. Strafford Regional Planning Commission has increased its recreation planning program over the last several years with funding through the NH Children’s Health Foundation, and via its Unified Planning Working Program (UPWP) with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT). This increased programming allows
NEW HAMPSHIRE TOWN AND CITY
SRPC staff to ensure that one of the greatest amenities to the region is widely shared and promoted. North Country Council has been working in collaboration with partner organizations throughout the northern counties of New Hampshire to identify assets and needs for the outdoor recreation industry as part of the Council’s Economic Recovery and Resiliency planning supported by the Economic Development Administration. The Council has also been researching bike rack locations throughout the region and has created an online crowdsourcing platform to identify bike rack locations through the Council’s Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP).
SRPC and Recreation Planning
Most recently SRPC has been able to carry out subsequent region-wide projects to analyze recreational resources in all of its eighteen communities. This started with a project called Pathways to Play (PTP) and has continued through Promoting Outdoor Play! (POP!), both funded by the NH Children’s Health Foundation. Historically, most of SRPC’s recreational planning services were related to trail mapping and providing this data in the form of maps for local communities.
www.nhmunicipal.org
