Commission on Parks and Recreation Guides Consolidated Department

Your Commission on Parks and Recreation (PaRC) is eager to work with you to provide the very best ideas and recommendations to our elected and appointed officials concerning the protection, preservation and promotion of Philadelphia’s historical, cultural, environmental and recreational resources and programs.

The Parks and Recreation Commission was constituted in July 2009, following the passage of an amendment to the Home Rule Charter which transferred the powers and duties of the Fairmount Park Commission to a new Department of Parks and Recreation and reconstituted the Fairmount Park Commission as the Commission on Parks and Recreation (PaRC).

PaRC consists of 15 members, nine of whom are appointed by the Mayor from nominations made by City Council and six of whom serve ex officio, including the President of City Council and the Executive Director of the City Planning Commission or their designees, the Water Commissioner, the Street Commissioner, the Public Property Commissioner and the Parks and Recreation Commissioner. Each highly qualified member, appointed at the beginning of each Mayoral term, has demonstrated skills and knowledge about park and recreation matters.

PaRC’s charge is to develop and adopt written, enforceable standards related to the use of the city’s park and recreational land and facilities, make recommendations to enhance revenue opportunities, and assist in promoting parks and recreational facilities and programs. Its goal is to increase the visibility and enormous opportunities that Philadelphia has to recapture its position as the nation’s leader in the park and recreation field and sustain the legacy of William Penn’s “greene countrie town.”