Planning for Parks, Green Space, and Trails in Greenville's West Side

Copyright

2013

Published By

Health Impact Project

The HIA recommended that the city take steps to mitigate the potential effects of gentrification and displacement, such as making adequate affordable housing stock available and minimizing displacement, evictions, and foreclosures that may occur as a result of the potential park and additional redevelopment. The assessment also recommended that the park include a means to access fresh produce—such as a community garden, mobile food truck, or farmers market—and incorporate pedestrian or bicycle trails between the west side and the potential park space.

Outcome

During the HIA process, Greenville was made aware of residents' concerns about rising property values and the risk of displacement. The HIA influenced the development of a subsequent affordable housing plan for the city. It emphasized the need for community input and influenced the city to hold a meeting so that residents could voice their opinions. HIA recommendations about green space and recreational space also influenced final planning decisions. For example, resident input resulted in changing soccer fields to basketball fields in the final plan.

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This Health Impact Assessment Report first appeared in The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health. The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health was originally developed by the Health Impact Project, formerly a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The creation of this resource was supported by a grant from the Health Impact Project. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts, or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.