Last Updated September 28, 2011Elmhurst Park Original

This page is an outline of the original proposal and plans for the Elmhurst Street Children's Park, written by the Trust for Public Land.

The Dorchester Neighborhood Backyards project will transform vacant land at Elmhurst and Spencer-Whitfield streets into two neighborhood playgrounds for young children, complete with play areas, art, spray fountains, play equipment, swing sets, picnic tables, and lawns. Neighbors are working together to improve recreational opportunities for young children and families, including environmental education and active recreation for adolescents and teenagers, and to create gathering places to celebrate community events.

The expected long-term outcomes of the project include: fostering cohesive neighborhoods in Codman Square; reducing crime; attracting businesses; stabilizing property values; and improving the quality of life for the residents of Codman Square, specifically in the area west of Washington Street. We anticipate that the Neighborhood Backyards project will be a model for other neighborhood parks in Boston.

Why here?

Dorchester needs more parks. Dorchester is the largest and most multi-racial of Boston's neighborhoods, home to 16 percent of the population of the City of Boston living on 13 percent of the city's land area. While Boston should be proud to be a "well-parked" city, with an average of ten acres of public open space per 1000 residents, Dorchester is seriously deficient in open space and recreational areas. Dorchester averages less than five acres of open space per 1,000 residents, and Codman Square has only 1.9 park acres per 1,000 residents.

Why now?

There is no need to wait any longer. For more than 30 years, residents have volunteered their time and energy to regularly clean the vacant land, hauling away thousands of pounds of trash and debris. They have held neighborhood cookouts, design workshops, and play days in support of the project. The decision to create the Neighborhood Backyards was made through consensus, and residents remain the driving force behind the development.

Who are we?

We are strong local service providers. The Boston Project Ministries, the Codman Square Health Center, the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses, and the Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition, in partnership with the Trust for Public Land and the City of Boston, together are developing the playgrounds and raising capital and stewardship funds to build and maintain them.