Houston will provide funding to invest in neighborhood parks with the greatest need.
What this means
Houston City Council approved $11 million to invest in 25 neighborhood parks throughout the city. The funding will allow the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and the Houston Parks Board, under the Let’s Play Houston initiative, to design and provide construction for the improvements.
The Let’s Play Houston initiative identified over 180 neighborhood parks and found that the 25 in the program had the greatest need. At least one park is in each council district.
The first round will improve 11 of the identified parks, including:
- Andover Park
- Bricker Park
- E.L. Crain Park
- Greenwood Park
- Haden Park
- Haviland Park
- Lawrence Park
- Montie Beach Park
- Pumpkin Park
- Trinity Gardens Park
- 6640 Wilcrest Greenspace
How it's done
Justin Schultz, president and CEO of the Houston Parks Board, under which Let’s Play Houston falls, said the board used a Social Vulnerability Index to determine which parks should be prioritized. The SVI looks at several indicators, including income level, English fluency, resident ages and disabilities. It synthesizes into a single number, from zero to one, with zero meaning no poverty.
“The average city of Houston SVI is about 0.5,” Schultz said. “Our average Let's Play Houston park, the surrounding community is a point eight.”
The biggest issues at the selected parks varied, Schultz said, but there were three common issues: shaded playgrounds, security lighting and accessible walking paths. Other parks had more specific needs, including those with sports areas.
“Some parks may have a baseball field, and people say, ‘We have little leagues that play here, and you know, we need the backstop to be improved,’” he said. “Other parks may say, ‘This park is really used just for like passive recreation. So we want more benches here. We want picnic pavilions, things like that.”
Schultz said the parks undergo a five-step process, which begins with engaging residents, creating the design, permitting, construction and completion.
One more thing
Schultz said this is one of the largest investments in neighborhood parks in the city’s history and is funded through public-private partnerships. The total investment is expected to be $60 million. All 25 parks are expected to be completed by the end of 2028, Schultz said.
