Source: The Trust for Public Land
Parks and green space will soon become accessible for thousands more Richmonders through the Capital Region Land Conservancy’s new initiative with the city of Richmond’s Green Team.
CRLC hopes to obtain private lands to create public parks and green spaces, using a $26,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Richmond’s ConseRVAtion fund. CRLC Executive Director Parker Agelasto says he expects new parks will be created in the next two years.
Though Mayor Levar Stoney endorsed a campaign in 2017 to ensure that all residents live within a 10-minute walk from public parks or green spaces, Agelasto says this goal is impossible to achieve without attaining private land. “As the city’s population continues to grow, we want to make sure we are growing our parks equitably,” says the former 5th District city councilmember.
Agelasto hopes to increase green space in South Richmond, where access is uneven. Potential sites include properties near the intersection of Warwick and Hopkins roads.
Richmond has less than half the national median percentage of city land set aside for parks and recreation, according to The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit. An analysis by the trust of the distribution of parks in Richmond reveals that more than 40% of residents without park access live in poverty; approximately half are African American, and around 30% are Hispanic.
Besides recreation, parks offer environmental advantages: Trees and undeveloped land filter stormwater, while tree canopies keep cities cooler, Agelasto says.
Though securing private land involves uncertainty and negotiation, Agelasto says the partnership with the city of Richmond’s Green Team is a step in the right direction: “This is a huge shift in the city’s thinking in terms of the benefits that parks provide, rather than [thinking] we need to develop every square inch of our city.”
