Synopsis

In an attempt to beautify her town — and advance her career — Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana, takes on bureaucrats, cranky neighbors, and single-issue fanatics whose weapons are lawsuits, the jumble of city codes, and the democratic process she loves so much.

Schur said they observed many community hearings were attended only by those opposed, often angrily, to the proposals under consideration.

This fact became a major component of town hall scenes and was the basis for the "Canvassing" episode.

Scott Albright, a California city planner, provided direct feedback for the Mark Brendanawicz character, and the inspiration for Ron Swanson's anti-government convictions came from a real-life encounter Schur had in Burbank with a libertarian government official who admitted, "I don't really believe in the mission of my job." The concept of turning a construction pit into a park was seen as a device to bring all the characters together working toward a common goal.

The writers originally envisioned the pit becoming a park only in the series finale, although those plans were later changed and the pit was filled in during the second season.

While researching whether such a project could realistically last several months or longer, Schur spoke to urban planners in Claremont, California, who said it was entirely plausible because they had recently broken ground on a park that had been in various planning stages for 18 years.

Daniels and Schur wrote the script for the pilot episode in mid-2008.