New Resource: Shared Use Clearinghouse

School districts and municipal organizations increasingly see shared use agreements (also called joint use agreements) as one of the most promising strategies to create opportunities for physical activity within a neighborhood or community. Making use of playgrounds, fields, and gymnasiums that would otherwise not be open after hours for basketball games, Zumba, yoga classes or other types of activity allows for a more efficient use of public space and money, and is an almost effortless strategy against childhood obesity, particularly in lower income communities. Studies have also shown that the number of children who are physically active outside of school is 84 percent higher when schoolyards are kept open for public play. As the trend of shared use spreads across the country, easy access to up-to-date information and resources is key to ensuring that shared use agreements become an indispensable part of any community’s toolkit to improve public health and increase physical activity.

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership recently launched the Shared Use Clearinghouse, a website designed to improve access to shared use resources that will aid communities and school districts in developing successful shared use agreements. With hundreds of resources already categorized for easy searchability and new resources being added as they are developed, the clearinghouse will provide a space for existing shared use efforts to connect to each other and help elevate the national discourse around shared use.