Rebuilding Asheville's Riverfront Public Spaces with Your Input

• Learn About the Azalea Area Project and Take Survey
• Learn About the French Broad Area Project and Take Survey

Is Your Voice Missing as We Rebuild Parks and Greenways Impacted by Helene's Floodwaters?

Flooding from Tropical Storm Helene catastrophically damaged Asheville's public parks and greenways along the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers. As the City of Asheville begins rebuilding and reimagining these cherished shared spaces, we want to ensure they are welcoming to everyone who calls the city home. We hope you'll take a few minutes to watch short videos and provide feedback through surveys to guide designers.

This is the moment to shape our riverfront for generations. Make sure your ideas, thoughts, and concerns are in the mix.

Take Surveys by March 16

Taking and sharing the project surveys are the most helpful ways to participate. We heard from thousands of community members in the first phase of community feedback in late 2025, and we’d like to hear from even more by March 16.

Visit the official Riverfront Parks Recovery project page for short video presentations of concepts and quick surveys for each project keeping these goals in mind:

• Refine Details: Tell project teams what you like (and don’t like) about multiple proposed layouts and features to refine in a final unified design
• Identify Red Flags: Point out potential hidden challenges like barriers to access, emerging trends, longtime wants and needs, economic concerns, and other info only a local would know
• Create a Cohesive System: Ensure the Azalea and French Broad recovery projects work together as a cohesive, resilient riverfront to best serve our city

A "Mix-and-Match" Approach 

We aren’t asking community members to pick a single “winning” design concept. Instead, we want you to mix and match by telling us what you like (and what you don’t) across multiple layouts. This ensures the final unified design shared in late spring or early summer reflects the community’s priorities and keeps our city’s recovery moving on an fast moving timeline.

• Azalea Parks and Infrastructure: Watch Video  |  View PDF
• French Broad Riverfront Parks: Watch Video  |  View PDF

Help Spread the Word! 

We need intentional (and even accidental) influencers like you! Please forward this email to three friends who live, work, or play along the Asheville’s French Broad and Swannanoa riverfront areas.

Please share survey links with your networks through text, email, and social media:

• Riverfront Recovery (landing page for both projects)
• Azalea Parks and Infrastructure Recovery
• French Broad Riverfront Parks Recovery