Latest news with #UrbanForestMasterPlan
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Shopper Blog: City seeks input as it updates Play Knoxville, its Parks and Recreation Master Plan
NORTH KNOXVILLE Jack Coker, Shopper News The public engagement phase for Play Knoxville, the city's Parks and Recreation Master Plan, is officially underway. This plan will guide investments in parks, greenways, community centers and recreational programming for the next decade. It's been over 15 years since Knoxville last updated its Parks and Recreation Master Plan, and with the city's population growing by nearly 10,000 residents in the last five years, now is the time to ensure outdoor spaces keep pace with community needs. The planning process kicked off in January with a steering committee of community leaders. Since then, city staff and consultants from Perez Planning + Design have been hard at work, conducting dozens of focus groups, meeting with Knoxville City Council and community leaders, and visiting nearly 70 parks across Knoxville to assess conditions. Now they're asking for feedback from the people who use these spaces the most: Knoxville residents. Over the coming weeks, community members will have multiple opportunities to provide input, including attending neighborhood meetings, engaging on social media and sharing their thoughts via an online survey. The city has also launched an interactive mapping tool where residents can pinpoint specific locations and suggest improvements. The Play Knoxville website, is live and serves as a hub for community engagement. Residents can take the 15–20-minute survey, which is modeled after similar planning efforts in cities like Atlanta, Louisville and Miami, to help identify priorities for Knoxville's parks and recreation system. A Parks and Recreation Master Plan is more than just a list of future projects — it's a roadmap for how Knoxville will develop and maintain its parks, programs and facilities for years to come. The plan will identify current needs, anticipate future demand and provide a phased approach to implementation over the next decade. Short-term projects (one to three years), mid-term goals (four to six years) and long-term initiatives (seven to 10 years) will be outlined to ensure strategic, sustainable improvements across the city. Beyond enhancing recreation opportunities, this plan is also a critical tool for securing funding. Historically, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation required that local departments update their master plans every five years to guide state funding allocations. While TDEC is revising its approach, Knoxville's renewed focus on parks planning aligns with broader city initiatives, including the Greenway Corridor Feasibility and Assessment Study, the Urban Forest Master Plan and the One Year Plan. Parks are more than just green spaces; they're places where communities connect, children play and Knoxville's character shines. If you have ideas for improving your neighborhood park or expanding recreational opportunities across the city, now is the time to make your voice heard. Visit to take the survey, drop a pin on the map and get involved in shaping the future of Knoxville's parks and recreation system. Your input today will help create the parks of tomorrow. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Shopper News brings you the latest happenings in your community
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
State College moves forward with first phase of Urban Forest Master Plan
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) – State College is entering the first phase of its Urban Forest Master Plan, which they hope will let them make more informed environmental decisions in the future. The borough is currently on phase one of four in total. This first phase includes performing a tree canopy assessment, which indicates how much ground is covered by canopies when viewed from above. Elected officials continue to weigh in on proposed SCI Rockview closure 'The study helps the borough understand the distribution, the health and the density of the community's trees and how it has changed over time,' State College Borough Communications Specialist Kayla Lafferty said. The other phases include reviewing tree-related ordinances and taking inventory of the total number of trees. Lafferty says the assessment will allow for future planning and more community education about the 'importance of the urban forest.' 'It'll also focus on sustainability, so it will enhance the borough's efforts to combat climate change, improve air quality and provide shade,' Lafferty said. According to the borough's website, the first phase is set to be complete by the end of March – with the full plan expected in May 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
