Illustration and Article by Julie Z. Russo

The City of Raleigh voted to adopt the new system plan on May 6, as part of a 16-month planning process.

Imagine what Raleigh parks will look like 20 years from now and you could find a white water adventure park, a multi-sport athletic complex to host national competitions, inner city skate board parks and cafes, and a multi-nodal public transportation system connecting parks, greenways, and recreation centers throughout the city.

The chance to dream big about the future of parks was the purpose of a week-long series of Visioning Sessions sponsored by the City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources at the Raleigh Convention Center May 13-17. The department is halfway through a 16-month process to develop a plan that will shape the direction of parks over the next 20 years, and has been seeking public input along the way in community meetings, as well as mail and online surveys that can be accessed at www.YourParksYour Future.com. So far 40,000 people have visited the online site for more information.

“I cannot remember a community that has so much love for its parks, it’s been a week-long love fest,” said David L. Barth, principal of AECOM, the design firm in charge of helping develop a strategic plan for the Raleigh park system. “You have a wonderful place to live,” Barth said in closing remarks before 150 members of the public at the convention center Friday, May 17.

David Barth, AECOM principal

Raleigh can be compared to other mid-sized cities including Nashville, Portland, and Seattle, and is drawing businesses and new residents from across the country. The goal for park planners is a visionary master plan for the future that includes blended public and private funding, integration and equity for Raleigh’s diverse residents and resources, more and better connectivity, technology, and communication throughout the system, Barth said.

Working alongside a 22-member parks steering committee, public participation has included four community workshops (including one just for teens), with various stakeholders and citizen advisory groups, 19 focus groups, 1,000 online survey respondents, and 800 mail-in survey respondents. The committee and AECOM have toured 81 parks, walking or biking half of them, to come up with a detailed assessment of the status of existing facilities as well as directions for future growth.

Fifteen areas have been identified for park improvement including arts and historic resources, greenways and trails, special needs and active adults, and teen education based on the Visioning Sessions. The plan should include a park system with active social gathering places like Millenium Park in Chicago that includes adjoining residential development or the Luxemborg Park with model sailboats in France, Barth said. Recreation centers that have edible gardens and cooking classes one day and yoga classes the next, followed by art classes would be the norm. Active adults need convenient, enhanced transportation and accessibility to parks and recreation centers with classes designed for their needs whether it’s learning how to operate an Ipad or attending a fitness class.

A group of teens who attended the sessions spoke of a need for better places to hang out with their friends whether it’s to skate, play basketball, access nature and adventure facilities or meet up with mentors to learn more about jobs or colleges. This will require increased collaboration between Wake Schools, colleges and parks.

A healthy and fit lifestyle reinforced throughout the park system was emphasized at the Visioning Sessions. Downtown squares responsive to urban lifestyles that attract new residents and businesses will require new urban parks with “pockets of WOW,” said Barth. Nineteen percent of survey respondents are professionals who are likely to use fields, pools, wi-fi, sports, dog parks, hiking trails and fitness. Special needs populations also benefit from richer and more diverse programming with a balance of opportunities being provided by the county, city, and nonprofit organizations. With space at a premium, it's also important to think creatively about how to better use available resources whether it’s converting fire stairwells into climbing walls or art murals, or parking lots turned into cafes and skateparks.

The promotion of natural areas that fit within a broad ecological framework such as the Walnut Creek Wetlands Center and the Fletcher Park Water Garden should become a standard. Other successful examples of park redevelopment have included the recent upgrade of the Chavis Carousel at Chavis Park and the opening of the Neuse River Greenway Trail creating a 28-mile long bike trail. The opening of the Dorothea Dix property as a 320-acre public park modeled after Central Park would be another jewel in the city’s vision of a premier future destination.