This dataset includes information on the location of parks and recreational facilities across Southeast Michigan, including private and municipal local parks, county, state (typically Michigan Department of Natural Resources), and federal (typically National Parks Service) owned parks, metroparks owned and managed by the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority (HCMA), and some facilities owned by public school districts (both attached to school buildings and independent parcels).

The dataset includes the footprint of each park facility as determined by examining its legal parcel boundaries and refining the polygon with aerial/satellite imagery; information on the park or facility's physical location and owner; a URL to the website concerning the park or its owning organization (when available); and a Y/N designation on if the park or facility contains a given amenity.

This dataset is typically updated on an annual basis and has its year designated in the feature class name; in this case, 2023. SEMCOG receives updated Five-Year Parks and Recreation Plans in late Q1/early Q2 of the calendar year, and updates the respective community's park and amenities information. Other updates are made ad hoc when requests for changes or clarification are submitted to SEMCOG either through the Info Center (infocenter@semcog.org) or directly to SEMCOG staff. This data has been updated as of October 31, 2023.

The data is intended to use for both parks planning activities and to assist residents, businesses, institutions, and visitors with finding information and location of different parks and recreational facilities, as filtered by amenity and location. This information is available in the dataset, but also streamlined for public-facing use through the ParkFinder application.

This dataset is created and updated by SEMCOG staff in the Environment & Infrastructure, Economic & Community Vitality, and Data Analysis groups.

Showcases featuring Parks Amenities 2023