Mobile recreation units help residents access amenities and build community
Can giant yard games like Connect Four encourage neighbors to connect more?
Leaders in the rapidly growing suburb of Bondurant, Iowa, believe so. Recreation plays an important role in strengthening relationships in the city, which experienced an astounding 90.8 percent population increase from 2010 to 2020.
“That means new neighborhoods are being built," says Katie Klus, communication and event coordinator for the city of Bondurant. “There is a disconnect between some of the older residents who have been here through generations, and newcomers to town."
Bondurant saw an opportunity to help people build social capital, as local infrastructure investments, including a 46-acre civic campus, city-park master plan, and a 25-acre, mixed-use “Grain District,” transform the city map. Strategically wrapping recreation into redevelopment could help preserve the “hometown charm” of a tight-knit community.
