Reimagining green space with little space: New Hanover parks director talks creative infilling
With major growth and development in a county that is the second smallest in the state in land mass, parks and green space have become an important area of focus for local governments.
New Hanover County is 199 square land miles and has a total of over 5,000 acres of parks and green space for the public.
These numbers come from a compilation of all state and local parks in the county that are owned by governing bodies. New Hanover County, Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach, Kure Beach and the two state parks at Fort Fisher and Carolina Beach are included in the compilation.
The largest park in New Hanover County is Carolina Beach State Park at 761 acres and has miles of trails and a marina that provides access to the Cape Fear River and the Intracoastal Waterway.
But when it comes to parks in the county's more populated areas, there are some non-traditional parks and green spaces.
This is part of a new and creative approach to making sure the public can spend time outdoors even in a county as populated as New Hanover, said Tara Duckworth, New Hanover County Parks and Gardens director.
From 2022 to 2023, New Hanover County’s population grew by over 3,000 and more growth is expected as the Wilmington metro area ranked No. 9 in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Top 10 Metro Areas.
More: New park opens in New Hanover County. Here's what it includes.
Passive parks
The county’s latest park opening was the Hanover Pines Nature Park in Myrtle Grove and Duckworth said the idea was to make it a passive park.
Passive parks are designed for use in an unstructured or informal way that requires minimal development. Duckworth said this environment allows kids to use their imagination and get creative when they are outdoors.
Passive parks can also help enhance the county’s water quality, preserve wildlife habitats and protect natural areas, according to New Hanover County's website.
These parks often include multi-purpose trails, nature playgrounds, interpretive learning, outdoor classrooms and open green space, and Hanover Pines Nature Park has all of these amenities.
“Every park has its own personality,” Duckworth said. “That’s kind of our imaginative park.”
Duckworth said the county does a lot of infilling to take unused or underutilized land and turn it into a space that the public can use to recreate and enjoy the outdoors.
Saving what can be saved
When it comes to building parks, Duckworth said staff makes an effort to cause as little disruption to the land as possible, making sure to protect the trees in the area.
For example, at Hanover Pines, the trails swirl in and out of trees to keep from disrupting the trees' root systems.
More: New year, new developments: 13 projects to watch in New Hanover County in 2024
New ways to get to the parks
Another area of focus has been getting people to parks in ways that don't involve having to get in the car and drive.
Duckworth said she has seen studies that show that if people can get to parks by foot or by bike, they will be more likely to get outside and exercise.
She said that the county has been connecting onto the city of Wilmington's cross-city trail to provide easier access in places such as Ogden and Market Street.
"We're picking up where they leave off," Duckworth said.
The county has been in constant communication with the city. And the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization holds meetings to make sure that the governing entities' planning is cohesive with each other, Duckworth said.
"We don't have enough parking, but OK, do you really want to take precious 42 acres of park land and make it a parking lot? Probably not," Duckworth said.
What's to come?
New Hanover County plans to expand Smith Creek Park and Northern Regional Park.
Duckworth said Northern Regional Park will expand by about 35 acres and Smith Creek park will expand by 80 acres.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover County parks director talks the reimagination of parks
