Capital Investment Model

About the Program

Category: Planning (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

In January 2019, the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) initiated development of a tool that would prioritize proposed capital improvement projects. The tool collects information about existing parks, makes the information comparable, compares the information to benchmark standards and provides a recommended priority ranking based on how well the proposed projects addresses community needs and service deficiencies. The tool analyzes how well projects meet County goals and national standards, which serve as benchmarks for level of service standards. Benchmarks measure amenities and assets in a study area, average capital dollars spent annually in a study area, park acres and park access, and benefits that projects contribute to sustainability and community value. Through the development of 32 worksheets and analyses of 26,000 data points across 33 benchmarks in 25 study areas, the tool was successfully implemented and provided quantitative data to help inform the prioritization of DPR capital projects in the County’s operational plan for fiscal years 2020/21 and 2021/22. The outcome of this program is a data-driven model that improves process efficiencies and provides a prioritization tool for analyzing potential projects by how well they meet DPR and County goals, service deficiencies, and community needs.