As someone who does not live in the City of Richmond, I found the sudden rise of luxury apartments, greenspaces, and bike lanes eye-opening at first. Now, once I enter the city, my drive consists of gazing upon the many buildings that are part of Richmond’s development plan: Richmond 300. As the ruins of the past fall and the future rises, the city hopes that this “master plan” will demolish the developments of Richmond’s first plan, created by Harland Bartholomew in 1946.  

In 1946, Harland Bartholomew created an urban development plan for Richmond. Fueled by his determination to push towards urbanization, Bartholomew focused on expressways, parking, schools, parks, and “walkable neighborhoods.” These objectives blinded him when faced with the issue of poverty. He knew that he could not solve the issue of poverty itself, so he instead avoided it. For instance, he believed that older houses needed to be torn down because they were impeding urbanization progress. His decision resulted in the deconstruction of many historic neighborhoods, most of which were in African American communities that were segregated along race and class. As a result, by the end of the 1950s, 4,700 housing units in primarily black neighborhoods were swept away. Bartholomew’s policies of shifting residents away from business and industry and creating a new reliance on cars has not only displaced several communities, but has resulted in a city that still has one of the highest poverty rates in Virginia. 

The current plan, Richmond 300, seeks to reverse Bartholomew’s legacy in the next 20 years before Richmond’s 300th birthday in 2037. Studies have shown that many Americans feel a sense of loneliness due to growing homelessness, apathy to disasters, and more. However, they also found that the solution can be found in urbanization, which fosters social connections. Richmond 300 aims to capitalize on those findings. Building more neighborhoods and increasing the walkability of cities can help improve social and health outcomes. In addition, the city recognized that a plan to create a more equitable and sustainable future for the people of Richmond was needed. Richmond 300 incorporates about 12 different phases, all set with the goal of establishing affordable, inclusive housing and creating safe and secure community gathering and recreational spaces. In the next 20 years, there will be about 1,500 units in Richmond. Other goals include developing an equitable transportation network, fostering a diverse economy, and supporting a thriving environment. 

With the hopes of improving the city through redevelopment comes the negative impacts on global warming due to urban sprawl. Urban sprawl is the spreading of urban developments into areas outside of the city. Although growing the city to increase the number of homes may seem good, Science Museum of Virginia scientist Jeremy Hoffman explains, “By expanding outward, you are creating a higher need to drive around,” and therefore releasing more greenhouse gases–worsening global warming. To resolve this issue, the city started another initiative called Richmond INSPIRE (Imagining Neighborhood-Shaping Parks and Inclusive Recreation Experiences), which aims to create city-wide parks and recreational areas. These parks and recreational areas increase walkability and add more greenspace, thereby offsetting some of the environmental impact of driving. As a part of the plan, the Science Museum of Virginia recently opened The Green: a former parking lot turned greenspace. “Richmond needs more greenspace, and we’re proud to showcase examples of natural solutions to address the impacts of climate change,” said museum Chief Wonder Officer Richard Conti.

Richmond 300 was created to reconnect the communities divided by Richmond’s first urbanization plan. Richmonders can now look towards a bright future that holds a renewed sense of community and finally leave behind a dated, isolated past. 

Information retrieved from Richmond Magazine, VPM News, Richmond Public Interest Law Review, Locus Impact, Aecom, and ABC 8News.