Winding through the hills and valleys of southwest Dallas, Five Mile Creek’s 70-square-mile watershed includes Blackland Prairie, limestone creeks, old-growth forests, and wildflower meadows. Yet many of these natural features are inaccessible and disconnected from the city’s parks and trails—until now.

Throughout 2018, Trust for Public Land collaborated with hundreds of local residents to develop a bold vision for a network of parks and trails along Five Mile Creek and its many tributaries. The results will provide opportunities for residents to hike, bike, play, exercise, learn, and enjoy nature’s bounty in the heart of Dallas. The Five Mile Creek Urban Greenbelt lays the foundation for nearly 13 miles of new trails, 124 acres of parks, and the comprehensive revitalization of a unique natural asset.

Of the 186,297 people living within the creek’s watershed, only 54 percent have access to a park or trail within a 10-minute walk of home. The majority of area households are low income, and significant health disparities affect residents, specifically asthma, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. By expanding park and trail access to affected neighborhoods, the Five Mile Creek Urban Greenbelt will directly improve health, education, and the environment, and play a foundational role in the equitable development of southern Dallas. Our work on the greenbelt is already underway, and we need your help.

With southern Dallas undergoing extensive development and growth, Trust for Public Land has a time-sensitive opportunity to implement the Five Mile Creek vision of a healthy and connected region through new parks and trails. Our goal is to serve as a neighborhood partner, champion, and solution for realizing the community’s vision for a park and trail network. We are committed to cleaning and greening the Five Mile Creek watershed, improving safety, outdoor education opportunities, public health, and social cohesion for one of Dallas’s highest-need neighborhoods.

Trust for Public Land will oversee the design and development of three initial projects within the greenbelt: the 1.8-acre South Oak Cliff Renaissance Park, which opened in November 2021; the 40.4-acre Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park near Paul Quinn College, the first phase of which will open in 2023; and the 82-acre Woody Branch Park in Glen Oaks. As the first phase of the Five Mile Creek Urban Greenbelt, these three projects will demonstrate the power of parks to improve the quality of life for nearby residents and the greater North Texas region.