A unique plan to advance equitable access to quality parks and green spaces; to improve community health and wellbeing, build social connections and resilience; and to expand environmental safeguards after Hurricane Harvey.
Park Smart Precinct One is a unique plan to assess existing parks and trails and advance equitable access to quality parks and green spaces to improve community health and well-being.
During Phase I of the project, Asakura Robinson organized steering committee meetings, interviews and focus groups, speak out events, a precinct-wide telephone poll, and town hall community workshops.
In addition to park planning, Asakura Robinson also focused on a green infrastructure assessment and an active transportation study.
Asakura Robinson worked with The Trust for Public Land to provide planning services to the Harris County Precinct One to evaluate their current park and trail resources and identify and prioritize gaps in access, especially for vulnerable communities. The Park Smart Precinct One project was post-Hurricane Harvey and focused on advancing equitable access to quality parks and green spaces, while expanding the precinct’s environmental safeguards. The project team worked to convene diverse local partners, foster deep community engagement, and help build consensus through developing shared priorities, visions, and strategies. These efforts, along with the firm’s local expertise, guided the project’s development processes and helped to identify barriers to using local parks and trails for underserved populations, and identify key areas to enhance active transit routes.
Asakura Robinson led community engagement and GIS analysis efforts. The firm developed a web-based decision-support tool to support strategic identification of park priorities through advanced query and state-of-the-art geographic analysis. The team was also able to assess existing green infrastructure resources in Precinct One and identify high priority areas for future investments. Additionally, Asakura Robinson identified ways to integrate arts and culture into parks and greenways to engage local communities and reflect their unique stories.
