Last updated: May 2025
Chickasabogue Park, a 1,100-acre outdoor recreation facility and wildlife refuge in Eight Mile, Alabama, is the largest park in Mobile County (Ref 3). Since 2022, the park has undergone extensive renovations aimed at increasing public access to green spaces and shoreline recreational areas, particularly along Chickasabogue Creek, while offering a variety of outdoor activities in a natural setting and preserving local biodiversity (Ref. 3). The improvements focus on enhancing the day-use area, including upgrades to the playground, a splash pad, basketball courts (adapted to heavy rains with water-permeable materials), and a ball field (Ref 1, Ref 2). Additionally, a new pavilion site and an events and interpretive centre are being developed (Ref 1, Ref 2). Sidewalks and family-friendly walking trails are being built, and improvements are also being made to the park's mountain bike trail and disc golf course (Ref 2), providing more opportunities for outdoor physical activities in nature. Other significant upgrades include the creation of a restroom and a new parking lot with permeable pavers to prevent flooding (Ref 2). Critical infrastructure work is underway, including the installation of underground utilities, water, sewer systems, and roadwork (Ref 2). Furthermore, a new Recreational Vehicles (RV) campground with 38 spaces is in the works (Ref 2). These upgrades are part of a broader initiative aimed at ensuring the public can quickly access and enjoy natural resources (Ref 2). The renovation also emphasises the cultural heritage and historical significance of the park, with plans to use architecture, design, and artefacts to honour the different cultures that once lived in the area (Ref 2). The next phase includes seeking funding to renovate the beach area and construct a new boat ramp (Ref 1).
Boat Launch for future improvement in Chickasawbogue Park
https://www.mobilecountyal.gov/parks/chickasabogue-park accessed on 17/09/2024
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Rivers/streams/canals/estuaries
- Riverbank/Lakeside greens
- Parks and urban forests
- Large urban parks or forests
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
- Promotion of cultural diversity
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Urban flooding (stormwater)
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Disconnection from nature
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Updated management structure of existing green spaces (e.g. parks), Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas, River rehabilitation/ restoration
Project objectives
1. Increase public access to green spaces and blue spaces, such as the Chickasabogue Creek (Ref 3).
2. Provide diverse outdoor recreational opportunities in a natural setting (Ref 3).
3. Protect the environment and preserve the diversity of indigenous plants and animals (Ref 3).
4. Enhance infrastructure to manage heavy rains and prevent flooding (Ref 2).
5. Highlight the park's cultural heritage and historical significance (Ref 2).
Implementation activities
1. Upgraded playground (Ref 1).
2. Installation of a splash pad (Ref 1).
3. Renovation of basketball courts, including adaptation with water-permeable materials for heavy rains (Ref 1, Ref 2).
4. Addition of a ball field (Ref 2).
5. Construction of a new pavilion site (Ref 1).
6. Construction of an events and interpretive center (Ref 1).
7. Creation of sidewalks (Ref 2).
8. Construction of a family-friendly walking trail (Ref 1).
9. Improvement of the parking areas, including a parking lot built with water-absorbing pavers (Ref 2).
10. Construction of new restroom facilities (Ref 2).
11. Improvements to the mountain bike trail (Ref 2).
12. Improvements to the disc golf course (Ref 2).
13. Installation of underground utilities (water and sewer system) (Ref 2).
14. Fire hydrants, lift stations, and fire mains installation (Ref 2).
15. Roadwork improvements (Ref 2).
16. Creation of a new recreation vehicle (RV) campground with a capacity of 38 spaces (Ref 2).
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
- The city of Mobile leads the project (Ref 1)
- Mott MacDonald (private company) is the contractor for the infrastructure improvements (Ref 2)
- Goodwyn Mills Caywood (private company) is the contractor for the mountain bike trail and disc golf course work (Ref 2)
- Moffat and Nichol (private company) is the contractor for the RV Park Project (Ref 2)
- J Hunt Enterprises (private company) is the contractor for the day use/entry area and trail improvements (Ref 3)
Fundings: the Gulf of Mexico Energy and Security Act (national government) (Ref 2)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships)
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public national budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Water management and blue areas
- Increased protection against flooding
- Expected increased protection against flooding
- Improved stormwater management
- Expected improved stormwater management
- Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
- Expected enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Expected increased green space area
- Increase in protected green space areas
- Expected increase in protected green space areas
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
- Expected increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Economic impacts
- More sustainable tourism
- Expected more sustainable tourism
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Expected improved access to urban green space
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Promotion of cultural diversity
- Expected promotion of cultural diversity
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Expected improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Expected protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Spears, A. (2024). Mobile County targeting late summer/early fall reopening date for Chickasabogue Park. Eight Mile, AL: NBC News 15, p. 1-3 Accessed on September 17, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Redd, A (2024). Chickasabogue Park nears reopening with work still needing to be done. Eight Mile: News WKRG 15, p. 1-6 Accessed on September 17, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Mobile County (n.d.). Chickasabogue Park Temporarily Closed for Amenity and Infrastructure Upgrades. Eight Mile: Mobile County, p. 1 [Source link];
4.
Mobile County (2023). Next Phase of Chickasabogue Park Construction Beginning. Eight Mile: Mobile County, p. 1 Accessed on September 17, 2024, [Source link];
5.
CityData.com (2022). Demographics in Prichards - CityData.com. Prichard: CityData.com, Accessed on September 17, 2024, [Source link];
6.
CityData.com (2022). Demographics in Chickasaw - CityData.com. Chickasaw: CityData.com, Accessed on September 17, 2024, [Source link];
Chickasawbogue Park Master Plan, showing future improvements to be made on the beach/swimming area
https://www.mobilecountyal.gov/parks/chickasabogue-park accessed on 17/09/2024
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.