Document Type
Professional Plan Capstone
Original Publication Date
2026
Client
City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities (PRCF)
Location
Richmond, Virginia
Date of Submission
May 2026
Keywords
parks and green space, land acquisition, community engagement, geospatial analysis
Abstract
Parks and green spaces offer myriad benefits to physical and mental well-being, environmental health, climate resilience, and community connection. Richmond, Virginia has added several new parks in recent years. However, there are still gaps between existing conditions and the City’s goal of having all residents live within a 10-minute walk of a quality park. The plan presents a land acquisition and maintenance strategy for future parkland expansion in the City of Richmond. Three questions guided the research: 1) which areas in Richmond are priority areas for creating new parks? 2) what processes should Richmond use to acquire land to expand parks? 3) how can local expertise shape the site selection process for new parks? Research methods included geospatial analysis, direction from precedent plans, case study interviews, and a focus group. Based on geospatial findings, priority areas for new parks in Richmond are largely in Southside, as well as portions of Northside and East End. Case study interviews revealed that while Richmond successfully leverages multiple acquisition tools for parkland, the City could benefit from requiring green space proffers from developers. The focus group serves as a replicable community engagement process that can be used by the City for future parkland acquisition and park design meetings. Recommendations include four goals – along the themes Expand, Engage, Fund, and Strengthen – for Richmond’s parks and green spaces.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects