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Challenge: Not enough spaces to play The Play: Think Small
From the Sport for All, Play for Life report: Large sport centers are great — but people living within a mile of a park are four times more likely to use it than those who live farther away. Be creative in the use and development of play spaces and how kids can be transported there.
FIVE KEY FINDINGS IN OAKLAND Transportation creates challenges for families to access sports. Despite the availability of city buses and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), 82% of surveyed Oakland youth said they are driven to practices and games by a family member. Many community members feel public transportation is unsafe, leaving working parents in a bind, especially if taking one’s child to a better facility in Oakland or elsewhere means a longer commute. In the neighborhoods of Fruitvale, Jingletown, East Oakland, Maxwell Park and Seminary, 10% use a city bus for sports – twice the rate of the West Oakland, Downtown and Lake Merritt communities. Biking (8%) is another method some youth use for transportation. Six percent of city streets account for more than 60% of severe and fatal biking collisions, which Oakland is trying to correct through its three-year, $100 million Complete Streets plan to repave roads. 30 In the first year, the program implemented more than eight miles of new bikeways. Youth sports providers that offer transportation are incredibly valuable for families and schools. For example, Oakland Strokes uses a van to pick up about 10 youth at the East Oakland Youth Development Center and transport them to the boathouse. Rideshare
programs like HopSkipDrive offer vetted drives for kids, but it’s expensive and only conducive for one or two children at a time. Sports providers and city leaders aren’t on the same page over facility improvements. Ninety-four percent of Oakland residents strongly agree or agree that the city should invest more in parks, fields, pools, and recreation facilities. 31
STATE OF PLAY OAKLAND
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