Memphis Brings in Garvin to Get Plans Moving for Park

At 4500 acres, Shelby Farms Park in Memphis is one of the largest urban parks in the country. However, despite its size and its location -- along the banks of the Wolf River, in the heart of Shelby County -- the park has never lived up to its potential as a great park.

Now, civic leaders in Memphis are trying to change all that. The Wolf River Conservancy has hired Yale professor Alex Garvin to help jumpstart planning for the park. Garvin will be helping to figure out programming, governance, and funding for the park, in the hopes of turning it into a premier destination.

Garvin recently made headlines with his plans for the Beltline Emerald Necklace, a 2500-acre system of parks, trails, and transit for Atlanta. The citizens of Memphis are hoping he can help them put together something equally dramatic.

"The problem with Shelby Farms is how to make it go from first gear into full drive," Garvin told the Memphis Daily News. The citizens of Memphis are hoping he can help them get their park up to speed.