What is READY2PLAY?

The Ready2Play Master Plan establishes a long-term vision to guide the DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) for the next 20 years.

Ready2Play is a result of countless hours of community engagement and feedback. The Master Plan was created with the community's voice to guide it, and it envision the future of parks and recreation in the District of Columbia. The Master Plan identifies forward-thinking agency-wide goals, strategies needed to develop those goals, and specific actions that the agency will undertake.

Ready2Play looks beyond DPR-owned or managed properties and, similar to the former Capital Space plan, takes a holistic view of all parks and recreational opportunities across the District. This includes evaluating the role and impact of the National Park Service (NPS) and DC Public Schools (DCPS) facilities, as well as other publicly accessible spaces that support or could support recreational needs. Although DPR does not have jurisdiction over many of these areas, the plan's recommendations help inform collaboration with partner agencies to address community needs.

In the initial phase of the planning process, a needs assessment will be completed As part of the planning process, DPR completed a comprehensive needs assessment. This included analyzing DPR's current inventory to identify gaps in service and opportunities for improvement, while also incorporating NPS and DCPS properties into the evaluation. Staff reviewed national and international trends in parks and recreation planning, design, and programming to ensure the plan reflects current best practices.

The Ready2Play Master Plan now serves as the guiding document for DPR's future investments and programming decisions. Through thorough analysis, facility condition assessments, public feedback, equity considerations, and recreation and leisure trends analysis, the plan identifies funding priorities and critical focus areas.

Ready2Play presents clear actions that move DPR toward its long-term vision for parks and recreation in Washington, DC. It includes broad goals and specific actions across short, medium, and long timeframes. These actions are being publicly tracked and can be viewed through the Ready2Play Implementation Dashboard webpage.

It is anticipated that every 5 years, the plan will be revisited and updated as needed by changing times.

Questions?

If you have questions about the Ready2Play Master Plan, please check our FAQs.