Wednesday, July 31, 2024
DENTON (UNT), Texas 鈥� The has helped bring a new park to the city of Lewisville.
From left: Jose Marines, Lewisville City Manager Claire Powell, UNT assistant professor Lauren Fischer, and City of Lewisville Director of Parks and Recreation Stacie Anaya
The city held the grand opening of 鈥� also known as Parque La Gloria 鈥� on June 15. The 2.85-acre space in Lewisville鈥檚 Triangle neighborhood, which previously had limited access to green space, includes a playground and open play space, fitness equipment, shade structures and benches and free Wi-Fi as well as an onsite food market.
Jose Marines, a UNT Master of Public Administration student and city of Lewisville administrative analyst, and Department of Public Administration professor Lauren Fischer led the charge to bring the park to the city.
鈥淯rban planners are problem solvers. We look at situations and see how we can do better,鈥� Marines said. 鈥淯NT gave me the tools to take on these problems.鈥�
The city received more than $2 million in grant funds to survey and develop the park land, which was originally an undeveloped lot. The funding came from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and One Tree Planted, an environmental nonprofit tree planting charity.
Lewisville city leaders also invited UNT鈥檚 (AERI) to collaborate on the creation of the , an innovative master plan designed specifically for the suburban community. The plan offered UNT students from multiple departments the chance to get hands-on experience in community outreach, urban planning and environmental surveys.
For City Manager Claire Powell, the Explore More Lewisville plan is a way to show residents that they matter.
鈥淣eighborhoods that don鈥檛 have healthy infrastructure can experience poor health outcomes and greater poverty levels,鈥� Powell said. 鈥淎dding green spaces like Glory Park 鈥� this jewel right in the middle of the community 鈥� can lift everyone up.鈥�
City of Lewisville鈥檚 Glory Park/Parque La Gloria. Image courtesy of City of Lewisville.
Using the same environmental monitoring practices that were implemented for Glory Park, the plan includes an equity index to improve infrastructure in areas of the city that need it most. The index was developed by AERI with citizen-led committees to identify areas with a history of underinvestment that could be enhanced by planting trees, adding new sidewalks and more.
The AERI-led project has won awards from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the Texas Recreation and Park Society and the Texas chapter of the American Planning Association, and is garnering attention at state conferences for urban planning, recreation and regional development.
Members of AERI and the city of Lewisville presented the Explore More Lewisville plan at the American Planning Association鈥檚 Texas chapter conference, the Texas Recreation and Park Society conference and the National Recreation and Park Association鈥檚 annual conference.
鈥淥ther organizations have reached out and said, 鈥楬ey, we love what you did with Lewisville. We鈥檇 love to do that in our community, our neighborhood,鈥欌�� Fischer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting because what we did in Lewisville can potentially change the city鈥檚 future development.鈥�
UNT News Service Phone Number: (940) 565-2108
Media Contacts:
Chelsey Gilbert
Chelsey.Gilbert@unt.edu
940-369-7019
From 鈥� Public Service