I feel that the James River Park System isn’t really well defined.
Before this class I could have told you that pony pasture was part of the system but would have never guessed that it included areas such as Belle Isle or Mayo Island, these all seemed like separate places to me. The park system’s definition needs to be refined and publicized; mentioned in a way which promotes the idea that all of these areas are interconnected and part of a greater system of efforts and programs.
These spaces are beautiful and provide multiple services to the public. Belle Isle’s flat rocks scattered across the river provide a place to both layout and tan and enjoy a dip in the cool waters while the isle itself offers a long walking path, abandoned buildings (of which I highly recommend the exploration of), outdoor sports areas like the BMX track. Pony pasture offers a similar experience with calm currents near the river banks and rougher currents downstream and towards the center of the river. There are also multiple trails to explore, allowing for the discovery of more niche places suited for exploration, recreation, and relaxation. Brown’s island is an entertainment and event hub for the city of Richmond and is well known for its beautiful landscaping and historic appeal. The island is quickly and easily accessible from downtown and provides paved pathways for running and other exercise; access to the river is also easy to come by along with more industrial pathways and ‘abandoned’ buildings waiting to be traversed. This and the rest of the park system get their individual focus but are never connected publicly for the benefit of the public who may want to explore more and ever fascinating places along the river’s edge.
So what to do? For starters the final for this class (a project involving the discovery and mapping of access routes and plans for the greater Richmond area) has the goal of connecting a much larger area than just the James River Park System, providing the public with easy to understand information about the accessibility of and to the river. But the Park System itself should work on putting up maps of some manner or something which educates visitors about other areas in the park system.