Sixty years after voters narrowly approved the first millage to establish Oakland County Parks, officials say the system is undergoing a fundamental shift. 

County officials recently unveiled a plan to revamp and grow its parks system. It’s called Mission 26 and it aims to help the county’s residents easily access the outdoors, especially in urban areas.

The focus on reshaping the county’s parks is funded by a public millage passed in 2024.

Oakland County Parks Director Chris Ward says it’s a green vision for the county’s future. “We know people are struggling financially, but the fact that they, you know, demonstrated such overwhelming support for that proposal shows how deeply people in this county value recreation and the outdoors,” Ward says. 

The county is expanding urban partnerships, including at Pontiac Oaks County Park, and plans to open Oak Park Woods at Sheppard Park and convert a Southfield golf course into a nature preserve. 

The county also launched the Co-Creation Lab to allow residents to help guide the future of the parks system through a new online portal, 

If parks are considered part of the county’s preventive health and wellness infrastructure, Ward says their success must be measured by how actively they are used.

“Empty parking lots represent a missed opportunity to reach people,” Ward says.

This story is part of WDET’s ongoing series, The Detroit Tree Canopy Project.