The Goal

The Friends of Reggie Wong Park and the Chinatown Community Land Trust are launching a $3M capital campaign to turn a neglected court space into a climate-resilient intergenerational park for the environmental justice community of Boston Chinatown.

The Need

Reggie Wong Memorial Park is a 0.35 acre asphalt court tucked between two highway ramps in Boston Chinatown,on land owned by the MassDOT. Reggie Wong Memorial Park (RWMP) is used by volleyball and basketball players of all ages and has been the neighborhood’s only outdoor public recreational space for decades. Contaminated by oil and hazardous materials, the park gives an overall impression of neglect and cannot be safely used to its full potential. The park is the region’s historic and cultural home of Chinese Nine-Man Volleyball, a competitive sport deeply rooted in Chinese American history.

The Community

Chinatown is burdened by extreme heat, flooding, traffic-related air pollution, and a lack of tree canopy, and 89% impervious surfaces. Temperatures can run as much as 10 or 12 degrees hotter than other parts of the city. RWMP is a critical facility for casual neighborhood use and youth recreational services. Chinatown has more than 1500 children and youth, and the park also serves the local workforce and regional visitors who come for volleyball, pickup basketball, roller hockey. 

More than 240 youth are served by organized sports activities in the park each year.

The Plan

Scheduled to begin construction in 2026, the new design will address extreme heat and flooding and serve different generations of residents, contributing to community health and wellness. The redesigned park will include cool pavement coatings, permeable play surfaces, shade trees, a drinking fountain, and a rain garden of native plants, all of which will contribute to heat and flood mitigation. There will be new exercise machines, seating, a children’s play structure, interpretive signage, public toilet, interpretive signage, and tree buffers to mitigate highway pollution.