What is a park? Skateparks are a gathering space for kids but in my generation now a place for adults too. Skating moved from carving, beautiful images of soul surfers of empty pools
http://youtu.be/cKC-XBwQ_pA and large back-lit industrial pipes
to ramps
, big production contests, cement skate parks like Del Mar, and then back to an appreciation of street style. Now there's a push for more organic spaces for our skate culture to enjoy. We want something beautiful, something built into the landscape. The 80's and early 90's was about higher higher higher and now it seems to me the next generation is embracing is enjoying skating connected to their surroundings and nature. Communities are understanding the importance of developing new skateparks where kids, and adults can be active, have fun, and don't feel like criminals who just want to skate.
Here's a great article about Janne Saario who went from pro-skateboarder to leading skatepark architect http://ti.me/2dOVYWH#. Skateboarding doesn't have to be "Skate and Destroy" or illegal. Janne understands and recognizes the beauty and soul of the skate culture. Skaters have grown up and become part of a unique community narrative. Communities can embrace, build, and celebrate the history of the skate culture and bring the outsiders "in" to create a whole new generation who make a difference. 
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