The Riverline has been part of a three year 5-City Pilot Workforce Development Program. Click here to read more about our program and read below to see what the other four cities have done!

 

11th Street Bridge Park, Washington, DC:

Washington, DC’s 11th Street Bridge Park (Bridge Park), a project of Building Bridges Across the River (Building Bridges), is located in the Anacostia neighborhood of Ward 8 in Washington, DC. The project will convert the pylons of a demolished commuter bridge into an elevated park featuring recreation, arts, and culture. Once complete, the park will span the Anacostia River to connect some of DC’s most historically disinvested neighborhoods in Ward 8 (e.g. Anacostia, Congress Heights) with some of DC’s highest income neighborhoods in Ward 6 (e.g. Capitol Hill, Navy Yard). The project is expected to break ground in September 2024 with an expected completion date in early 2026. The project’s equitable development plan focuses on advancing opportunity for Ward 7’s and Ward 8’s majority Black population, who have long experienced barriers to accessing prosperity blooming in other parts of the city. Bridge Park leaders implement equitable development plan strategies across four areas: housing, arts and culture, workforce development, and small businesses. https://buildingbridgesdc.org/11th-street-bridge-park/

Grand River Corridor, Grand Rapids, Michigan:

Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. is a non-profit partner in the Grand River Restoration effort (Grand River). The revitalization of the Grand River corridor in Michigan will stimulate sustained investment in the region and provides an opportunity to address the needs of those that have been victims of social, economic and environmental injustices. In October 2023, the first public space improvement site in the redevelopment initiative, Lyon Square, broke ground on construction. As one of the smaller projects on the corridor, Grand River considers Lyon Square a learning tool for successes and challenges when developing other sites along the river. (https://www.riverforall.com/)

Harold Simmons Park, Dallas, Texas: The Trinity Park Conservancy (TPC), headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is developing the Harold Simmons Park along the Trinity River. In Dallas, not all residents experience the city’s economic growth equally, as white households earn approximately double the median household income for Black and Latino households (Trinity Park Conservancy 2019). Housing segregation in Dallas pushed low-income households to neighborhoods south and west of the river; however, these residents are now concerned about displacement risks with recent investments. TPC hopes to leverage the park investment to also spur community development in these park adjacent neighborhoods, with the park connecting them to the other side of the river and the broader city. Although construction on the park has not yet begun, the site is preparing to break ground later in 2024. https://trinityparkconservancy.org/

India Basin Waterfront Park, San Francisco, California: The India Basin Waterfront Park project (India Basin) aims to promote economic opportunity and improve environmental health for residents of the surrounding Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood in San Francisco. Located on the southeastern corner of San Francisco, Bayview Hunters Point is one of the city’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods, with a history of disinvestment, crime and violence, low economic opportunity and poor health outcomes. With input from residents, the construction of India Basin will transform an existing but underperforming park and an adjacent parcel into a crucial green space for the community while working to combat green displacement During the first two years of the pilot, the project focused on training community members for construction jobs on the park or other Bay area projects. In year three, the focus shifted to business development, ensuring that local organizations were equipped to manage park concessions, including the Food Pavilion and Welcome Center. At the end of year three, India Basin remained in the second phase of construction with plans to open the first half of the park to the public in the fall of 2024. https://ibwaterfrontparks.com/