Community Vitality

What is Community Vitality?

In a vital community, all individuals are healthy, connected, and empowered to thrive - physically, emotionally, socially, intellectually, economically, and civically - within a supportive and equitable environment. Community Vitality is a multifaceted concept driven by both collective and individual well-being in a community but also the dynamic interplay between individuals, groups, institutions, public services, and other place-based factors.

The Community Vitality Framework™ provides structure to the concept of Community Vitality by organizing it into 8 domains: 1) Physical Health, 2) Social and Emotional Health, 3) Education and Lifelong Learning, 4) Community and Civic Engagement, 5) Economic Opportunity and Development, 6) Natural and Built Environment, 7) Public Service Access, and 8) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The Community Vitality Framework™ is a flexible way to highlight, think, and talk about the factors that enable people and places to thrive together.

 

CV Framework- Updated 6.16

 

Physical Health
Social & Emotional Health
Education and Lifelong Learning
Economic Opportunity and Development
Community and Civic Engagement
Public Service Access
Natural and Built Environment
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Our Unique, Data-Driven Approach

Building upon PlayCore’s commitment to help communities turn research into practice, this framework serves as a guide to curate and showcase the many values of investing and reinvesting in high quality environments. Each of the eight domains represent a critical influence that outdoor play and recreation spaces have on overall Community Vitality. Domains can be used to help prioritize, focus, and organize data into evidence-based insights that can be used to inform project planning, target funding, advocate through case making, and showcase outcomes to demonstrate the many ways outdoor play and recreation spaces bring vital and essential services to communities.

 

Resources to Help You

Explore all our resources, through our Center for Outreach, Research, and Education, that align to the Community Vitality Indicators to support your project planning and advocacy initiatives. Look for the color-coded icons throughout our website and across our resources to help you easily identify the area(s) of specialization and how it aligns to the Framework. 

View Our Resources
A video of the different products shown through Playcore at parks.

Using the Framework

We can assist planners, decision makers, funders, and community members to uniquely apply, share, and showcase the research-based benefits of their work and to translate data stories that demonstrate meaningful impact. Our National Demonstration Site program leverages the Framework to generate customized data reports to help communities plan, prioritize, and promote their work.

Learn more about how we can support your next project by contact us

Connect With Us

Upcoming Project?