September 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 55

Collaboration is front
and center in Houston's
efforts to redefine the
city's green space.
By Amy Kapp

t's hard to pinpoint just one thing that defines a major city like Houston. But
when it comes to understanding the force behind the city's expanding park
system, it's no trouble at all. In fact, all one needs do is speak with Houston
Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) Director Joe Turner for five minutes before a particular " p " word pops up.
" Our department is based on providing good parks and green space for our citizens, " states Turner. " And the end result is, how do we get there with partnerships? "
Houston has embarked on several
major collaborations that, by many
accounts, will redefine the city's quality of life. Over the next decade, the
extensive park and recreation system
- which currently includes 365 developed green spaces comprising 37,832
acres of land, 60 community centers,
38 pools, 230 playgrounds and 128.69
miles of trails - will see the addition
of a massive greenway network along
Houston's waterways. Houston also
has plans to bring new life to parks in
underserved areas and make improvements to several iconic public spaces.
It was maintenance, according to
Turner, that was HPARD's focus
when he became director in 2004.
The department spent several years
updating its maintenance procedures
for its parks, esplanades and medians, library grounds, buildings and
facilities, a comprehensive effort involving many partners and external
" adoptee " entities. Now, as Houston
moves, to use Turner's words, " toward the green world, " partnerships
continue to play a critical role.

Buffalo Bayou
Park in Houston

Greening the Bayous
The most ambitious of Houston's
greening efforts is Bayou Greenways
2020, a $205 million component of

the Bayou Greenways Initiative. In
partnership with the Houston Parks
Board and the Harris County Flood
Control District, the city is creating a
ribbon of linear green spaces along its
10 major waterways, resulting in 1,500
acres of new parkland and 77 miles of
new hiking and biking trails. The additions will connect the scattered pockets of developed green space in the
corridors, creating a continuous 150mile park and trail system and threading together neighborhoods, employment centers and civic amenities.
" [Landscape Architect] Arthur
Comey did a planning study in the
early 1900s, and part of the concept
was how we had a wonderful mechanism to build this park space, " Turner says. " We started in the 1920s...
but the Great Depression and other things happened, and we moved
away from it. In the last 10 years,
we've rediscovered our heritage and
said 'This is the way we need to go,'
because it will allow so much of our
community to be connected. "
In November 2012, Houston voters
approved a major bond referendum
providing $166 million in park funding, $100 million of which is dedicated to Bayou Greenways 2020 efforts
along seven major stretches of bayous.

W W W. N R PA . O R G | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3 |

Parks & Recreation

September 2013 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2013 - Parks & Recreation