The City is embarking on its Parks and Recreation Open Space Plan, known as the PROS Plan, led by Agency Landscape + Planning in partnership with City of Ann Arbor. Over the course of nearly two years, a robust community engagement process will help residents, stakeholders, and City leaders shape a shared vision and strategic plan for the future of Ann Arbor's parks, recreation programs, and open spaces. Through analysis and public input, the City will identify opportunities to improve the park system and recreational programs, while preserving the qualities that make it essential community infrastructure. Comprehensive plans are important tools that help the City prioritize future improvements, pursue grant funding opportunities, and ensure parks continue to meet the evolving needs of residents and visitors.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by this summer as we popped up at parks and festivals across Ann Arbor! It was wonderful hearing what you love most about our parks system, and your input is already shaping where this project goes next.

We're moving into Phase Two: Branching Out. In this phase, we're teaming up with you to build a shared understanding of the parks system, where it's thriving and where there's room to grow. Together, we'll paint a full picture of community needs, the physical park system, and how it's run and maintained, so we can chart a clear course for the future.

Ways to get involved this fall:

• Focus groups: October 2026
• Community workshop: Early November 2026

2026 Summer Events:

• African American Downtown Festival, Saturday, June 6, 2026, 9am-8pm
• Ann Arbor Summer Festival Top of the Park, Saturday, June 13th, 2026
• Ann Arbor Art Fair, Saturday, July 19th, 2026 at the Farmers Market
• Pop-up event, Saturday, July 25th, 2026 at Gallup Park and along the Border to Border Trail
• Pop-up event, Saturday, August 1, Veterans Memorial Park

Beginning this month, randomly selected households throughout Ann Arbor will receive the 2026 City of Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation Community Needs Assessment Survey in the mail. The survey is designed to help the City better understand how residents currently use the parks and recreation system, identify barriers to participation, measure satisfaction with existing services, and establish priorities for future facilities, programs, improvements and investments. For those that received the mailed survey, responses are due by November 1st, 2026.

While a random sample of households has been selected to receive the official mailed survey, the City wants to hear from all Ann Arbor residents. Residents who do not receive a survey packet may participate through the City's open survey, available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JFBXDSF. Administered through SurveyMonkey, this version is slightly shorter and is designed to identify the aspects of the park system that matter most to residents. This survey will close on December 15th, 2026.

Maintaining the random sample and broader community participation as separate groups allows the City to receive the benefits of both approaches. Responses from randomly selected households will provide the statistically valid results used to understand communitywide priorities, while the open survey will provide an additional opportunity for residents throughout Ann Arbor to share their experiences, ideas and priorities. Results from the two groups will be appropriately identified and analyzed so the City can consider both representative findings and broader community input.