Green Infrastructure Improvements at Blackwell Park

an aerial view of a park with blue basketball courts

Photo credit: Max Posner Media

Studies show that access to healthy outdoor recreational spaces has dramatic impacts on the quality of life and overall health of communities. Green spaces also improve water quality, create wildlife habitat, and reduce heat and greenhouse gas emissions. Charlie Sydnor/Blackwell Playground (Blackwell Park) on Richmond’s Southside is a local park often used as a gathering space by the community and was long overdue for improvements.

The Alliance’s goal was to convert Blackwell Park into a thoughtfully planned, beautiful community asset that improves water quality and brings quality of life benefits to the neighborhood.

an aerial view of a park with a blue basketball court

A bird’s-eye view of Blackwell Park. Photo credit: Max Posner Media

In partnership with Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities (PRCF), Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU), Southside ReLeaf, and Timmons Group, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay worked on “re-greening” Blackwell Park to provide recreation amenities the community deserves. The Alliance and partners created enhanced green space with safe permeable parking, new walking trails, a nature playground, a community garden, bioretention areas, native plants and trees, and more, all while keeping water quality, climate resiliency, and pollinators in mind.

These green infrastructure practices reduce pollution and improve water quality in the nearby James River by capturing and filtering stormwater runoff. They will also provide other benefits to the Blackwell community, such as improved air quality, reduced heat, neighborhood beautification, and enhanced recreational facilities.

people dig a large hole in preparation to plant a tree

Volunteers plant trees at the park.

The Blackwell Park project integrates green infrastructure with these improved recreational facilities. The upgrades help improve the park’s climate resiliency by reducing heat and flooding while increasing wildlife habitat and beautifying the community.

The park is the first project of its kind in the Richmond area, and serves as a showcase for how green infrastructure can improve athletic amenities like ball fields, sports courts, and trails.

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