MetroABQ Parks & Greenspaces Part V
Above is a pocket greenspace with public art pieces, on the edge of Netherwood Park & the North Bike Path Diversion Channel that travels north from the UNM CAmpus up to Balloon Fiesta Park & beyond.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller is leading an effort with the Citys Parks & Recreation Department to help restore the city's urban forest. Recent studies show Albuquerque is losing its tree canopy at a rate of nearly one percent every year. With the current canopy cover at less than 10 percent, the loss of the urban forest leaves the city vulnerable to heat & wind, a changing climate, & harsh urban conditions. The Citys forestry program is refocusing its efforts to create an effective & unified program to support a thriving urban forest.
Additionally, from the CABQ.gov site: Last July, Mayor Keller joined a coalition of mayors across the country to work toward ensuring that every Albuquerque resident lives within a 10-minute walk (or half-mile) of a high-quality park or green space. Since then, the Parks and Recreation Department has acquired nearly 40 acres of Open Space in the Tijeras Arroyo and opened the Anderson Heights Park in southwest Albuquerque. The Department is also in the midst of constructing Memorial Park and will soon break ground on Juan Tabo Hills Park in southeast Albuquerque.
Beyond the construction of new parks and Open Space, the Parks and Recreation Department is exploring other innovative options to improve access to already existing parks and Open Space, such as creating new access points and potentially building new infrastructure to shorten the distance it currently takes some residents to travel to get to a park or Open Space property.
Although not considered city greenspaces, the dozen or so acres of dedicated greenspaces on the UNM campus are always there for folks to explore. A great thing about UNM is the public art installations that dot the main & north campuses. The lobo image above can be seen on-campus on the corner of Central Ave & University Blvd. Below is Roosevelt Park in winter, another great urban park; below that is Netherwood Park, in warmer weather.
