(Philadelphia) – Parks & Recreation and the Office of Open Data & Digital Transformation (ODDT) have unveiled the redesign of the Parks & Recreation website, www.phila.gov/parksandrec, that will make it easier for the public to learn about the wealth of Parks & Recreation offerings available within the city.

Working with designers, a development team, and content strategists, Parks & Recreation partnered with ODDT over a six-month period to reorganize and rewrite content. The team also built a “finder app,” a map-based tool that helps site visitors find locations, like parks and recreation centers, as well as their activities and schedules.

“I am thrilled to launch our new website” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner, Kathryn Ott Lovell.  “Our new site makes it much easier for the public to find the programs that they are looking for and for them to discover new Parks & Recreation programs, open spaces, and opportunities to get involved.”

The new site also highlights the programs and services offered by the department. Residents can now easily find information about how to:

“One of the best parts about the work we do is that we get to learn about all that the City offers to help its residents and improve quality of life,” says ODDT content strategy practice lead, Jeanne Adamson.

The site launch is also part of the citywide website redesign effort, www.phila.gov. “Beta” features simple, mobile-friendly designs and clearer content—connecting the public to City information in more streamlined ways. Parks & Recreation’s information, in addition to being available from the department’s homepage, is also accessible through the global navigation bar of www.phila.gov. This enables site visitors to find what they’re looking for easily without needing to know which department provides the service.

In 2018, ODDT will engage with over two dozen other City departments, offices, boards, and commissions to simplify their content and transition it over to the new, consolidated web platform.

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