Richmond City Maptour
What's happening in the River City?
University of Richmond Campus
Dr. Rob Andrejewski heads the university's Office of Sustainability, which takes lead responsibility in helping UR implement its Sustainability Plan. Rob took us on a campus tour, including stops to discuss Spider Solar, LEED buildings, EV stations, the Burying Ground, and the community garden and Eco-Corridor. He introduced the idea of systems thinking. It was fascinating to learn about campus systems - where our water comes from, where our electricity comes from. These are all hidden in daily life. All we see is a facet that lets out water, and a socket to plug in our devices.
Richmond Wastewater Treatment
The water that flows out of our campus, as well as much of the water that falls on the city’s streets and flushes down toilets in the city, travels through underground pipes to Richmond’s Wastewater Treatment Plant where the pollutants are removed before the water is returned to the James Rivers. We toured the plant with Ed Edmondson and learned about its state-of-the-art updates and the hundreds of millions of dollars that have been spent in the last five years to reduce pollution to the James as part of the RVAH20 Clean Water Plan.
Ancarrow's Landing/Slave Trail Walk
Richmond was the location of some of the largest trade of enslaved people in the Americas. The Manchester Docks were the port where enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia and marks the beginning of the trail along which they were marched to the slave markets of Richmond. It is also the easternmost section of the James River Park System, named after Newton Ancarrow, a native Richmonder, UR alum, and pioneering James River conservationist. This city exemplified the multi-layered history of many of the locations that we visited, and it was challenging to think about all the past and current functions of this land. As we read about the history of enslavement, we participated in the 2022 Richmond City Nature Challenge .
Lumpkin's Jail Site
Terry Dolson, from UR's Center for Civic Engagement, provided a tour of the Lumpkin's Jail site. By the mid-1800s, it had become illegal to import enslaved Africans, and the domestic slave trade replaced this international source. Richmond was the largest source of this exchange on the East Coast. The Lumpkin’s Jail complex has been archeologically excavated to unearth the remains of holding pens, auction house, and related artifacts that supported the slave trade. We learned how stories have been passed down from generation to generation to convey information, as well as to give warnings about the site. For example, residents of the black community near Lumpkin's Jail would share stories of people disappearing, and parents would warn their kids not to play near there. It turns out these were not just tall tales, but were actually rooted in truth. Many people did disappear, because the nearby hospitals needed cadavers. At that point in time, people were not donating their bodies to science. So, it is believed that the people who disappeared were murdered, and their bodies used for experiments at the hospital.
West End Branch Richmond Public Library
Justin Doyle, with the James River Association, gave us a tour of the Greening Richmond Public Libraries Initiative at one of the city's branch libraries. In addition to increasing capacity at the wastewater treatment facility, the RVAH2O plan calls for a number of local actions to better manage water in the city, including implementing more green infrastructure to control storm water that carries pollution into the James River. Excess stormwater puts extreme pressure on wastewater treatment sites and can bring all sorts of pollutants with it. We learned about the bioretention basins created at the library, which can prevent up to 90% of stormwater runoff. Another impact of the green infrastructure is to reduce the urban heat island effect (this is called a co-benefit). We also took part in some invasive plant species removal at the library. We learned that invasive species are not great habitats for animals, and hurt native plants by competing for resources with them.
James River Park System: Pony Pasture
The James River Park System (JRPS) is the crown jewel of Richmond’s public green space. One of the most popular swimming and sunbathing spots in the JRPS, Pony Pasture Rapids receives almost a quarter million visitors a year. We went kayaking in some mild rapids and toss a tennis ball around in the water. We had a lot of fun. It was also interesting to see the stark difference between the shoreline where the golf course was and where the forested areas of Pony Pasture were. Trees in the riparian areas along a river can be one of the most effective ways of filtering pollutants before the can contaminate water bodies.
The Diamond - Richmond Flying Squirrels
We took in James River Appreciation Night at The Diamond and enjoyed some Dippin Dots while watching the Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Akron Rubber Ducks in extra innings! Education and awareness tend to lead to environmental action, and the game was a great way to spread awareness about our city's river. The views of the city from the stadium were also a highlight. Sarah Adams, from the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, was a tireless partner throughout the program and joined us at the game.
Science Museum of Virginia
Devin Jefferson, Community Catalyst with the Science Museum, described the RVAir project, and we conducted air quality sampling in the Scott’s Addition neighborhood and down Monument Avenue. Scott’s Addition is one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city, and the Green new park at the Science Museum is an example of local efforts to address this high heat, while also creating a space for public gathering and informal learning. The project aligns with the city’s Richmond 300 development master plan. From our data collection, we were able to see that places with more vegetation had lower levels of particulate matter in the air. Devin reiterated the idea that their first step is education then action; the air quality monitoring walks that they oversee is part of the education process through something called "citizen science."
Digital Scholarship Lab
At the Digital Scholarship Lab, we viewed a map about redlining with zones and descriptions from the 1930s. Zones ranged from A to D, with A being the most desirable, and D the least. Justin Madron used Tacoma, Washington as an example. There was a large B zone, with a small D zone inside. This was where three black families lived. The D and B zones were otherwise exactly the same, which was supported through the descriptions of the areas. However, because there were African-Americans living in this small area, the area was deemed “undesirable” and therefore given a D rating. This means that this area would get less city funding, and be less appealing on the housing market. This case study did a great job of highlighting how blatantly racist redlining is. In Richmond, A-C neighborhoods were all generally white areas that were distinguished by class. D neighborhoods were all black, and did not distinguish by class. The maps lined up with our air quality sampling because we could see how redlined (zone D) areas in Richmond tend to still be hotter and have poorer air quality than other parts of the city.
Church Hill
We conducted additional air quality sampling in the historic Church Hill neighborhood, which allowed us to compare the measurements in Scott’s Addition – a region that has a lack of green spaces and is experiencing rapid gentrification and construction – to Church Hill a victim of Richmond's redlining history. The northern part has seen still seen very little investment and has some of the worst air quality, highest temperatures, and lowest amount of green spaces in Richmond. However, southern Church Hill is undergoing a process of gentrification, which potentially could be creating more green spaces, better air quality and lower temperatures. It was very interesting to observe the differences between these regions – especially the ones that aren’t visible to the naked eye.
Sankofa Community Orchard
Sankofa Community Orchard is located on Richmond’s South Side, and we learned how this annexed region of the city lacks of green spaces and is considered a food desert. Duron Chavis described his work at working at the intersection of food justice, climate justice, and racial justice. His goal in creating this orchard was to build unity by having a shared space where individuals could interact, get fresh food, and familiarize themselves with processes of growing and consuming resources. This orchard builds community resilience by decreasing reliance on grocery stores and institutions that too often prove to be detrimental to black and marginalized groups. It also exhibited a variety of green practices included drip irrigation systems, solar panels to power their water pumps, and recycling organic matter back into the ground to improve soil health.
The Market at 25th
Continuing with the theme of building a community of trust, this grocery store, located in Church Hill, was built on the idea of working with the local community and they really expressed that through the store. During the tour, they talked about how they had a Lyft program for customers to give them transportation to and from the store as they are carrying a lot of groceries and possibly don’t own a car. They also told stories of how they hired 60% of their employees from Church Hill, including providing opportunities for the homeless and folks with criminal records. The Market also provides many opportunities for local startups, giving them a specific stall to sell their goods, and they keep prices reasonable. In doing all this work to help the community, they are operating on a loss but thankfully there is someone providing them with funding which allows this to happen. One can see how they were a community in the store and also how they positively affected the community as a whole.
Presquile Island National Wildlife Refuge
The Refuge is located just downstream of the city of Richmond on an isolated man-made island created to lessen the distance that ships had to travel up the James River. The island is primarily a sanctuary for migratory birds, but it also supports a wide range of biodiversity. During our trip we measured oxygen levels and the turbidity of the river, trawled for fish and caught perch and catfish, canoed in the island’s wetlands, and learned about sturgeon, an endangered fish species native to the James. We saw examples of the island’s biodiversity in bald eagles, osprey, eastern box turtles, eastern tent caterpillars, and prothonotary warblers, which is the main species of migratory bird protected by the island. There was so much biodiversity. And it was cool to imagine what the world could look like that if we didn't have all of the infrastructure we have today. The connection to nature so close to the city also reinforced the importance of all the actions we had been learning about like the improvement to the wastewater treatment plant to protect this amazing biota. We also learned about the Kepone Chemical spill that closed the James for 13 years. This is why protecting our rivers is so important.
University of Richmond Campus
Dr. Rob Andrejewski heads the university's Office of Sustainability, which takes lead responsibility in helping UR implement its Sustainability Plan . Rob took us on a campus tour, including stops to discuss Spider Solar, LEED buildings, EV stations, the Burying Ground, and the community garden and Eco-Corridor. He introduced the idea of systems thinking. It was fascinating to learn about campus systems - where our water comes from, where our electricity comes from. These are all hidden in daily life. All we see is a facet that lets out water, and a socket to plug in our devices.
We ended the morning with a first discussion of how these systems are distributed in the city of Richmond with Rob and Professor Danielle Stokes , a UR alum and professor in our Law School who works on issues of property, environmental law, and environmental justice. With her focus on sustainability and equity in land use planning, we began to think about the legal and political history behind the uneven distribution of resources.
Richmond Wastewater Treatment
The water that flows out of our campus, as well as much of the water that falls on the city’s streets and flushes down toilets in the city, travels through underground pipes to Richmond’s Wastewater Treatment Plant where the pollutants are removed before the water is returned to the James Rivers. We toured the plant with Ed Edmondson and learned about its state-of-the-art updates and the hundreds of millions of dollars that have been spent in the last five years to reduce pollution to the James as part of the RVAH20 Clean Water Plan.
Watch a virtual field trip to the Wastewater Treatment Facility!
Ancarrow's Landing/Slave Trail Walk
Richmond was the location of some of the largest trade of enslaved people in the Americas. The Manchester Docks were the port where enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia and marks the beginning of the trail along which they were marched to the slave markets of Richmond. It is also the easternmost section of the James River Park System, named after Newton Ancarrow, a native Richmonder, UR alum, and pioneering James River conservationist. This city exemplified the multi-layered history of many of the locations that we visited, and it was challenging to think about all the past and current functions of this land. As we read about the history of enslavement, we participated in the 2022 Richmond City Nature Challenge .
Lumpkin's Jail Site
Terry Dolson, from UR's Center for Civic Engagement, provided a tour of the Lumpkin's Jail site. By the mid-1800s, it had become illegal to import enslaved Africans, and the domestic slave trade replaced this international source. Richmond was the largest source of this exchange on the East Coast. The Lumpkin’s Jail complex has been archeologically excavated to unearth the remains of holding pens, auction house, and related artifacts that supported the slave trade. We learned how stories have been passed down from generation to generation to convey information, as well as to give warnings about the site. For example, residents of the black community near Lumpkin's Jail would share stories of people disappearing, and parents would warn their kids not to play near there. It turns out these were not just tall tales, but were actually rooted in truth. Many people did disappear, because the nearby hospitals needed cadavers. At that point in time, people were not donating their bodies to science. So, it is believed that the people who disappeared were murdered, and their bodies used for experiments at the hospital.
"Truth survived in stories." - Terry Dolson
West End Branch Richmond Public Library
Justin Doyle, with the James River Association, gave us a tour of the Greening Richmond Public Libraries Initiative at one of the city's branch libraries. In addition to increasing capacity at the wastewater treatment facility, the RVAH2O plan calls for a number of local actions to better manage water in the city, including implementing more green infrastructure to control storm water that carries pollution into the James River. Excess stormwater puts extreme pressure on wastewater treatment sites and can bring all sorts of pollutants with it. We learned about the bioretention basins created at the library, which can prevent up to 90% of stormwater runoff. Another impact of the green infrastructure is to reduce the urban heat island effect (this is called a co-benefit). We also took part in some invasive plant species removal at the library. We learned that invasive species are not great habitats for animals, and hurt native plants by competing for resources with them.
Watch this video to learn more about The James River Association and the Greening the Libraries program.
James River Park System: Pony Pasture
The James River Park System (JRPS) is the crown jewel of Richmond’s public green space. One of the most popular swimming and sunbathing spots in the JRPS, Pony Pasture Rapids receives almost a quarter million visitors a year. We went kayaking in some mild rapids and toss a tennis ball around in the water. We had a lot of fun. It was also interesting to see the stark difference between the shoreline where the golf course was and where the forested areas of Pony Pasture were. Trees in the riparian areas along a river can be one of the most effective ways of filtering pollutants before the can contaminate water bodies.
The Diamond - Richmond Flying Squirrels
We took in James River Appreciation Night at The Diamond and enjoyed some Dippin Dots while watching the Richmond Flying Squirrels beat the Akron Rubber Ducks in extra innings! Education and awareness tend to lead to environmental action, and the game was a great way to spread awareness about our city's river. The views of the city from the stadium were also a highlight. Sarah Adams, from the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, was a tireless partner throughout the program and joined us at the game.
Science Museum of Virginia
Devin Jefferson, Community Catalyst with the Science Museum, described the RVAir project, and we conducted air quality sampling in the Scott’s Addition neighborhood and down Monument Avenue. Scott’s Addition is one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city, and the Green new park at the Science Museum is an example of local efforts to address this high heat, while also creating a space for public gathering and informal learning. The project aligns with the city’s Richmond 300 development master plan. From our data collection, we were able to see that places with more vegetation had lower levels of particulate matter in the air. Devin reiterated the idea that their first step is education then action; the air quality monitoring walks that they oversee is part of the education process through something called "citizen science."
"I like to expand my mental maps by exploring new places, and contributing to science is obviously a bonus." - Program Participant
Digital Scholarship Lab
At the Digital Scholarship Lab , we viewed a map about redlining with zones and descriptions from the 1930s. Zones ranged from A to D, with A being the most desirable, and D the least. Justin Madron used Tacoma, Washington as an example. There was a large B zone, with a small D zone inside. This was where three black families lived. The D and B zones were otherwise exactly the same, which was supported through the descriptions of the areas. However, because there were African-Americans living in this small area, the area was deemed “undesirable” and therefore given a D rating. This means that this area would get less city funding, and be less appealing on the housing market. This case study did a great job of highlighting how blatantly racist redlining is. In Richmond, A-C neighborhoods were all generally white areas that were distinguished by class. D neighborhoods were all black, and did not distinguish by class. The maps lined up with our air quality sampling because we could see how redlined (zone D) areas in Richmond tend to still be hotter and have poorer air quality than other parts of the city.
Explore the Digital Scholarship Lab's Mapping Inequality Project
Church Hill
We conducted additional air quality sampling in the historic Church Hill neighborhood, which allowed us to compare the measurements in Scott’s Addition – a region that has a lack of green spaces and is experiencing rapid gentrification and construction – to Church Hill a victim of Richmond's redlining history. The northern part has seen still seen very little investment and has some of the worst air quality, highest temperatures, and lowest amount of green spaces in Richmond. However, southern Church Hill is undergoing a process of gentrification, which potentially could be creating more green spaces, better air quality and lower temperatures. It was very interesting to observe the differences between these regions – especially the ones that aren’t visible to the naked eye.
Sankofa Community Orchard
Sankofa Community Orchard is located on Richmond’s South Side, and we learned how this annexed region of the city lacks of green spaces and is considered a food desert. Duron Chavis described his work at working at the intersection of food justice, climate justice, and racial justice. His goal in creating this orchard was to build unity by having a shared space where individuals could interact, get fresh food, and familiarize themselves with processes of growing and consuming resources. This orchard builds community resilience by decreasing reliance on grocery stores and institutions that too often prove to be detrimental to black and marginalized groups. It also exhibited a variety of green practices included drip irrigation systems, solar panels to power their water pumps, and recycling organic matter back into the ground to improve soil health.
Watch this video to learn more about the Sankofa Community Orchard
"By not putting in art that speaks specifically to African American consciousness, it defaults to whiteness.” - Duron Chavis
The Market at 25th
Continuing with the theme of building a community of trust, this grocery store , located in Church Hill, was built on the idea of working with the local community and they really expressed that through the store. During the tour, they talked about how they had a Lyft program for customers to give them transportation to and from the store as they are carrying a lot of groceries and possibly don’t own a car. They also told stories of how they hired 60% of their employees from Church Hill, including providing opportunities for the homeless and folks with criminal records. The Market also provides many opportunities for local startups, giving them a specific stall to sell their goods, and they keep prices reasonable. In doing all this work to help the community, they are operating on a loss but thankfully there is someone providing them with funding which allows this to happen. One can see how they were a community in the store and also how they positively affected the community as a whole.
Presquile Island National Wildlife Refuge
The Refuge is located just downstream of the city of Richmond on an isolated man-made island created to lessen the distance that ships had to travel up the James River. The island is primarily a sanctuary for migratory birds, but it also supports a wide range of biodiversity. During our trip we measured oxygen levels and the turbidity of the river, trawled for fish and caught perch and catfish, canoed in the island’s wetlands, and learned about sturgeon, an endangered fish species native to the James. We saw examples of the island’s biodiversity in bald eagles, osprey, eastern box turtles, eastern tent caterpillars, and prothonotary warblers, which is the main species of migratory bird protected by the island. There was so much biodiversity. And it was cool to imagine what the world could look like that if we didn't have all of the infrastructure we have today. The connection to nature so close to the city also reinforced the importance of all the actions we had been learning about like the improvement to the wastewater treatment plant to protect this amazing biota. We also learned about the Kepone Chemical spill that closed the James for 13 years. This is why protecting our rivers is so important.
"I enjoyed everything about Presquile Island, but my favorite part was the wooden walkway right before the canoes. We were sent in one at a time and walked for a few minutes on a wooden path. We were all quiet and were able to hear all the sounds of nature, from birds chirping to insects buzzing. The plants were so green and lush, it felt like I was in the Amazon." - Program Participant
Thank you for taking this journey with us...
More images from Richmond can be found here .
