Fairfax County has always been home for me. I grew up in Reston with Lake Fairfax Park as my back yard. That’s where I fell in love with nature and had the adventures that led me to become a Division I collegiate athlete and ecologist.
Today, I have the privilege to lead, preserve and enhance my own childhood park system that includes 420 sites as the executive director of Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA).
It’s also the vantage point from which I have observed the continuing evolution of our communities and the prominent role of the parks in their lives.
The post-COVID world has shown us that our neighbors value parks as a means of wellness, connection and environmental protection. Parks are key to improving health outcomes. They are the free gym that everyone can use for their lifestyle goals. Parks are the neighborhood playground where you’ll meet families of all backgrounds seeking a haven for kids to play together.
In rapidly urbanizing places like Fairfax County, parks are nature. It’s where stream-restoration and stormwater-management projects protect against flooding and improve water quality. Where urban tree canopy lessens thermal pollution, helps limit the heat-island effect of intensive development, filters pollutants and isolates carbon.
Where habitat restoration and wildlife corridors provide wildlife with natural terrain, reduce human-wildlife conflict and improve overall ecosystem performance. Parks are vital to environmental sustainability and mitigating the effects of climate change.
Fairfax County is now a majority-minority county. This demographic shift tends to be occurring more rapidly in areas where density is increasing. With that increase in density, lawns shrink or become non-existent, and parks as the community open space become even more important.
I always say “we can’t grow more land,” so opportunities to add parks and open spaces often compete with opportunities for development and land becomes more expensive. The amenities those parks provide also need to serve a more diverse population than in the past.
Racial equity is also a factor. Do all residents have equitable access to parks? My goal is to ensure we create a park system where the predominant race and income of an area do not predetermine the quality and quantity of parks in that area, and where the parks reflect and serve the surrounding community. Parks in Annandale shouldn’t look exactly like parks in Reston. Those are different communities whose residents may value different ways to recreate.
So, given the importance parks have in our everyday lives, the question is, “What is FCPA doing to preserve and maintain our gold-standard park system amid the changing needs and trends within our communities?” The answer is with informed, intentional decision making.
One important tool we’ve created is our Parks Recreation and Open Space plan, or PROSA. PROSA applies a multi-faceted, data-driven approach to planning that helps us measure park access within a 10-minute walk; ensure a balance of amenities and opportunities for individuals from ages 8 to 80 to recreate in different ways; enrich our connection with native habitat; and prioritize our work using an equity lens first.
This approach leads us to prioritize projects to improve park access and park equity and produce a stronger balance of park experiences countywide (420 sites!) for all residents – even as our community continues evolve over the next 25 years.
Around the world, great parks are synonymous with great places. With the world-class professionals and the strong support of local leaders, advocates and neighbors, the Park Authority is on a trajectory for success in enhancing equitable access to complete park experiences, maintaining a standard of excellence for environmental preservation and ensuring fun for all.
