Rejuvenating Neighborhoods and Communities Through Parks—A Guide To Success www.NRPA.org National Recreation and Park Association © 2011 All Rights Reserved 7 When Is a Park More than a Park? Marvin Gaye Park of Washington, D.C. How can parks play a role in addressing important community issues? While no one would be naïve enough to suggest that public parks are the saving grace for urban areas, we would be remiss not to cite some of the many park and development projects that have enhanced the livability of our cities and addressed some of those critical issues for overall health and well-being One such park renovation that clearly demonstrates how a park can benefit a neighborhood is Marvin Gaye Park in Washington, D C This park illustrates the life cycle associated with many urban parks, because the conditions and subsequent use of the park follows the variations in the economy and the available funds for maintenance and improvements It was Marvin Gaye Park where the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) launched its initial community revitalization initiative, Parks Build Community Following is an overview of how the many uses and evolutions of this parcel of land eventually led to a revitalized neighborhood in this urban enclave From Tobacco Fields to Development to Linear Park Once the Federal City started to grow, the tobacco farmlands alongside the stream valleys of the Anacostia River gradually gave way to homes and businesses However, the development in that area was subject to unpredictable flooding, such that the area was designated as a floodplain, thereby restricting development By 1938, the buildings were demolished and residents relocated so that a park could be developed in the floodplain This linear park space, called Watts Branch Stream Valley Park, was completed and remained as park space until the urban renewal efforts of the 1950s and 1960s Urban renewal resulted in large public housing projects—such as this one—to provide living space for those displaced people by such efforts Watts Branch Stream Valley Park went through several stages of usage and later neglect It lay in disrepair until the first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, had eight acres of the park refurbished as part of her Capital Beautification Campaign, bringing about new flower beds, large grassy areas, and a cleanup of the Watts Branch tributary Once again the community flocked to this beautifully renovated park From Disrepair to Revitalization In 1970, the federal government turned the maintenance of the park over to the District of Columbia The district’s limited funds led to the gradual disrepair of the park once again: it fell victim to illegal dumping and criminal activity It became known as “Needle Park,” reflecting the drug sales and use within its boundaries Renamed in honor of a famous local resident, musician Marvin Gaye, who frequented the banks of the stream while writing his music, the park remained in disrepair and misuse Enter Washington Parks & People, a nonprofit citizens’ organization that spearheaded an effort to clean up the land and restore the park Over a five-year period beginning in 2001, this volunteer effort resulted in a multimillion dollar rejuvenation of the park, during which 24,000 volunteers removed more than 3 5 million pounds of trash Beginning in 2007, as part of NRPA’s first urban park project, it partnered with Washington Parks & People and the DC Department of Parks and Recreation This initial undertaking by NRPA resulted in improvements to Marvin Gaye Park—providing further evidence that the health of a park is directly connected to the health and beauty of its surrounding neighborhoods || MARVIN GAYE PARK REVITALIZATION PROJECT
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