Biscuit Run Park Phase 2 Development/The Competition to Shape America's Greenspaces

While greenspaces are generally recognized as beneficial to human and environmental health, the question of what constitutes a successful greenspace remains open. In a capstone project advised by Dr. James Smith and in collaboration with researchers Emmy Chen, Grace Franklin, Mark Ayala, Bailey Stumbaugh, and Jordan Colbert, the researchers collaborated on the development of Phase II of the planned Biscuit Run State Park in Albemarle County, Virginia. The goal of the project was to propose passive and active recreational facilities for southern Albemarle County while conserving the park’s natural and historic features from intrusive ballfields and parking lots. In response, the team designed stormwater and transportation facilities that incorporated green infrastructure, such as a permeable paver parking lot and bioswales for stormwater management, among other implements. Policymakers, corporations, and citizen advocates have influenced the development and implementation of greenspaces in the United States, consistent with their respective commitments to economic security, profits, and collective values. No existing research was challenged. Instead, this report linked the findings of several reports and books and identified both exclusive and shared patterns in decision-making between them. No contention stood above the others in importance; however, the contention on corporations was the strongest due to one-dimensional motivation of that social group. It is here that I acknowledge Dr. Peter Norton of the University of Virginia, whose guidance stemming from decades of instruction across multiple continents fundamentally informed the methodologies used in this work.