Parks and Recreation System Master Plan Update (2016) parks_and_recreation_system_master_plan_update_oct | Page 6

the community’s identity and spirit, social cohesion, health, recreational opportunity, and
economic vitality.
This Master Plan Update provides a snapshot of progress made since the 1995 Parks and
Open Space Master Plan was completed, goals met and unmet, and analysis of the current
status and anticipated needs for development of Louisville’s parks, recreation facilities, and
open spaces over the next 25 years. Its implementation is intended to contribute to a civilized
and healthy future and to perpetuate the best of the community’s park, recreation and open
space heritage. This update has been developed in preparation for the community-wide update
of Louisville’s Comprehensive Plan, which will guide overall community goals and priorities for
land use, transportation, housing, community facilities, sustainability and economic
development for the next 20 years.
What was the parks and open space system like in 1995?
At the time of the last parks, recreation and
open space system master plan in 1995, the parks
system in Louisville and Jefferson County
encompassed slightly more than 10,000 acres
including the 5,192-acre Jefferson Memorial Forest
and 5,082 acres of other parkland ranging from
corner lots to parks many hundreds of acres in
extent. The system as a whole offered a variety of
recreational activities and was reasonably well
distributed throughout the community. However, aside from the legacy of the Olmsted parks
and their connecting parkways, the parks system as it stood in 1995 largely reflected a lack of
coherent direction for its development over the previous 50 years.
Furthermore, while Louisville’s parkland has always been considered a valued resource,
the quality of many of the parks had suffered from years of inadequate maintenance; a problem
which the Plan noted must be remedied if the past investment of the community in developing
the parks system was not to be lost.
What the 1995 Plan envisioned the parks and open space system would
be like in 2020
Goals
Four goals of the plan provided a definition of the recommended parks and open space
system:
1. A system of well-maintained parks and recreational facilities which meets the
needs of the residents of Louisville and Jefferson County;
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SUMMARY | October 2016 Update