Raleigh Parks Plan Update

Background and Planning Process

The Parks Plan update process kicked off in Summer 2023 and included three phases, each organized around engagement milestones with community members, staff, and partner agencies.

Phase 1: Listen & Learn
Phase 2: Vision & Framework
Phase 3: Outcomes & Actions

Throughout the process, over 2,000 residents participated in various engagement activities, including pop-ups, community workshops, and surveys. The values and priorities expressed by the community directly shaped the plan’s overarching Health-Focused Framework and Guiding Principles, as well as the specific outcomes that drive plan implementation. Staff and partner agencies provided additional insight, resulting in a plan that provides a relevant, actionable, and enduring roadmap for Raleigh’s park system in the coming years.

The final draft Raleigh Parks Plan Update was adopted by Raleigh City Council on Dec. 3, 2024.

Raleigh Parks Plan: A Vision through Four Health Lenses

This plan is structured around four key health lenses that reflect what the community values most in Raleigh’s parks system. This Health-Focused Framework acknowledges that Raleigh’s parks, greenways, and recreation facilities are not just nice-to-have; they are essential to sustaining public health, the natural environment, and our shared quality of life. These four health lenses help to organize an implementation strategy around holistic community health outcomes across multiple dimensions. 

1. Individual Wellbeing: Raleigh Parks provides opportunities for all residents to pursue healthy lifestyles through physical activity, mental wellbeing, and a commitment to providing facilities and programs that are accessible, inclusive, affordable, and relevant for all. 

2. Community Cohesion: In the unique tapestry of Raleigh’s neighborhoods, parks facilities emerge as shared spaces that foster a sense of identity and belonging. These spaces bring communities together, providing a forum for civic engagement, cultural expression, and a catalyst for sustainable development. 

3. Environmental Resilience: The lands and waters managed by Raleigh Parks form the backbone of a resilient, citywide ecological framework. This lens helps focus future City efforts to protect and manage these spaces, as well the community’s role as essential partners in cultivating a shared ethic of environmental stewardship. 

4. Organizational Commitment: Raleigh Parks is committed to upholding the highest standards among parks and recreation agencies, supporting a culture of innovation and empowering a workforce that is reflective of the communities that we serve. 

Park Access: Advancing Toward a “10-Minute Walk” Goal

The Raleigh Parks Plan Update includes detailed information on measuring access to essential park experiences in different areas of the city, as well as an equitable framework for prioritizing future improvements to the park system.

One key component of the plan establishes a “10-Minute Walk” level of service standard, which acknowledges that all residents should have access to a core park experience within walking distance of home. This level of service standard is consistent with nationwide best practices established by the National Recreation and Park Association and the Trust for Public Land, and reflects Raleigh’s existing commitment to the 10-Minute Walk Campaign.

Achieving this standard is an aspirational goal that will guide future expansion of Raleigh’s park and greenway system, but it also acknowledges that it will be essential to partner with other government agencies, nonprofit organizations, as well as private sector developers to meet this goal. Establishing this standard will help inform future policy development through Raleigh’s Comprehensive Plan. 

Equity in the Park System

Raleigh Parks is committed to establishing an equitable community for all, which includes establishing a transparent framework for decision-making. The Raleigh Parks Plan Update provides a framework for an equity matrix that can be used to guide future decision-making and inform prioritization of capital investments in park planning and development. The proposed equity matrix reinforces the Health-Focused Framework of the plan, and includes the following criteria used to identify areas most in-need of future park development and reinvestment:

• Health & Wellness: Identify communities reporting high rates of physical inactivity and poor mental health. 
• Environmental Justice: Identify communities at elevated risk of climate or environmental outcomes such as heat risk, tree canopy loss, or impaired waterways. 
• Historic Inequity: Identify parks that have not received sufficient investment in recent years, and reinvest in communities characterized by high rates of poverty, linguistic isolation, and age dependency (high percentage of children or senior adults), as well as communities with a high percentage of minority race or ethnicity population. 
• Park Demand & Walkability: Identify parks, trails, and access improvements that will expand park access to the greatest number of people, prioritizing communities that rely on walkability and public transit.