Ft Worth Times

City Council learned on Tuesday about a parks and greenspace plan that would benefit Fort Worth families into the next century.

Last October, Mayor Mattie Parker announced the creation of the Good Natured Greenspace Initiative.

Fort Worth is losing 50 acres per week of natural open space to development, and this initiative is aimed at uniting public and private community partners to enhance greenspace investment in Fort Worth.

On Tuesday, Deputy City Manager Mark McDaniel shared with Council a vision that would boost park development, specifically by increasing public-private participation.

Fort Worth is expected to grow by more than 270,000 people in the next 24 years. With that growth, more greenspace is needed to:

• Protect water quality
• Enhance flood protection
• Promote physical and mental health through recreation and opportunities to connect with the natural environment.

According to Trust for Public Land data, Fort Worth has faced shortcomings compared to other major cities in park investment and the percentage of residents who live within a 10-minute walk of a park.

How will more greenspace be acquired? There are two strategies:

1. Enhance and grow the existing park system with support from partners. This will involve commissioning and completing an aspirational study looking at the park system, and completing a Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan, currently in the public input phase.
2. Preserve a minimum of 10,000 acres of open space over the next five years.

The bottom line: This initiative aims to strengthen environmental conservation efforts and inter-agency collaboration. It also would attract significant financial support from corporate entities and foundations, ensuring sustainable development in Fort Worth.

What happens next: On Jan. 23, councilmembers will be asked to consider the development of an aspirational study for the Fort Worth park system. That study would be completed in the summer of 2024.

Original source can be found here.