Richmond INSPIRE is the City’s adopted 10-year roadmap and long-term vision for parks, greenways, community centers, natural areas, and recreation.
What is Richmond INSPIRE?
Read the Plan
Richmond INSPIRE (Imagining Neighborhood-Shaping Parks and Inclusive Recreation Experiences) was adopted by Richmond City Council on September 28, 2026, establishing a community-driven vision and roadmap for the future of Richmond’s parks and recreation system.
Developed through an extensive planning and engagement process beginning in January 2024, the plan was shaped by thousands of Richmonders through workshops, surveys, community events, stakeholder conversations, and online engagement. That input helped define the plan’s six Driving Principles and priorities for improving parks, greenways, community centers, natural areas, and recreation across the city. The adopted plan translates this community vision into a long-term vision, priority projects for the next 10 years, and 206 action items to guide implementation and future investment. Explore the full plan and supporting documents below.
Newest Updates!
Richmond INSPIRE Vision Statement
“Richmond’s parks, greenways, and community centers are safe, thoughtfully designed, well-maintained, and loved by all. Our parks strengthen and connect all neighborhoods, inspire healthier lives, and create the fabric of a resilient city.”
About the Plan
A Sneak Peak at Key Ideas From the Plan
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Richmond INSPIRE will guide efforts to make it easier for people to safely walk, bicycle, or roll to parks, trails, greenways, community centers, and the James River.
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The plan will guide improvements to existing parks, playgrounds, community centers, and recreation facilities while strengthening maintenance, operations, and long-term care.
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The plan will support recreation, programs, events, arts, culture, and gathering opportunities that bring people together and reflect the communities each place serves.
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The plan will help direct resources where needs are greatest while advancing environmental resilience, partnerships, and sustainable long-term funding.
FAQs
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Yes, on September 28, 2026, City Council approved Richmond INSPIRE, as an amendment to Richmond 300, marking a historic milestone for the City’s parks and recreation system.
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The plan is available for you to read.
Review Here. -
The City of Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities received funding support as part of the American Rescue Plan Act with the support of the Mayor and City Council to conduct our first comprehensive Master Planning effort in a generation.
The primary dates of creating this plan were between 2024 and 2026. Refer to Chapters 1 and 2 to review engagement and analysis summaries that informed the plan results and recommendations.
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As outlined in our City’s Comprehensive Plan, Richmond 300, our city is growing and changing rapidly, and thus careful effort must be made to plan for this growth in an equitable fashion. Richmond INSPIRE is an outcome of our City’s Master Planning process and is informed by other successful planning efforts including: The James River Park System Master Plan, Richmond Connects, RVA Green 2050, RVA H2O, and the Mayor’s Equity Agenda.
This plan helps us identify solutions for decades of deferred maintenance, curate programming to meet the needs and wants of our residents, make targeted and equitable capital investments, connect our residents to and between parks, prepare for a climate resilient future, and provide better parks and recreation experiences for Richmonders.
Richmond INSPIRE helps our department, our friends groups, our volunteers, and our city leadership as we make decisions and improvements to our parks and facilities in the coming years.
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This plan prides itself on being built by the residents of Richmond. This was done through extensive community feedback and review. As the plan continues to be implemented, there will be additional ways to get involved.
See the Get Involved section to learn more!
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It is a long-term community-directed roadmap that informs decision making for the entire Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities (PRCF) department. City departments have limited budget and resources, so the system plan can assist PRCF with how and where to focus their limited resources and inform their Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
The final plan is a tool used by PRCF and the community. The plan provides a shared-understanding of how to have meaningful, positive impact on the parks and recreation system.
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It is not a detailed design or proposed immediate improvements for a specific park, neighborhood, or facility.
It is not a method to approve specific city purchases, expenses or increase the department budget.
Contact Us
Feel free to share your comments and questions with the Richmond INSPIRE planning team in the box provided nearby, or you can email directly at contact@richmondinspire.com.
For other inquiries, reach out to Richmond Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities by phone at (804) 646-5733 or by email at AskParkRec@richmondgov.com.
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*Last updated 6/10/2026