DENTON (UNT), Texas — The University of North Texas College of Health and Public Service Department of Public Administration has helped bring a new park to the city of Lewisville.

The city held the grand opening of Glory Park — also known as Parque La Gloria — on June 15. The 2.85-acre space in Lewisville’s Triangle neighborhood, which previously had limited access to green space, includes a playground and open play space, fitness equipment, shade structures and benches and free Wi-Fi as well as an onsite food market.

Jose Marines, a UNT Master of Public Administration student and city of Lewisville administrative analyst, and Department of Public Administration professor Lauren Fischer led the charge to bring the park to the city.

“Urban planners are problem solvers. We look at situations and see how we can do better,” Marines said. “UNT gave me the tools to take on these problems.”

The city received more than $2 million in grant funds to survey and develop the park land, which was originally an undeveloped lot. The funding came from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and One Tree Planted, an environmental nonprofit tree planting charity.

Lewisville city leaders also invited UNT’s Advanced Environmental Research Institute (AERI) to collaborate on the creation of the Explore More Lewisville Healthy Infrastructure Plan, an innovative master plan designed specifically for the suburban community. The plan offered UNT students from multiple departments the chance to get hands-on experience in community outreach, urban planning and environmental surveys.

For City Manager Claire Powell, the Explore More Lewisville plan is a way to show residents that they matter.

“Neighborhoods that don’t have healthy infrastructure can experience poor health outcomes and greater poverty levels,” Powell said. “Adding green spaces like Glory Park — this jewel right in the middle of the community — can lift everyone up.”

The AERI-led project has won awards from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the Texas Recreation and Park Society and the Texas chapter of the American Planning Association, and is garnering attention at state conferences for urban planning, recreation and regional development.

Members of AERI and the city of Lewisville presented the Explore More Lewisville plan at the American Planning Association’s Texas chapter conference, the Texas Recreation and Park Society conference and the National Recreation and Park Association’s annual conference.

“Other organizations have reached out and said, ‘Hey, we love what you did with Lewisville. We’d love to do that in our community, our neighborhood,’” Fischer said. “It’s exciting because what we did in Lewisville can potentially change the city’s future development.”