This past year, Great City Mississippi Foundation commissioned a study for a Strategic Framework Plan for Parks and Trails. The study identified 20 catalyst park and trail projects that have the ability to create a high impact for communities throughout the city. The catalyst projects were determined based on an evaluation matrix that measured factors including: existing parks and trails, urbanization, population density, employment centers, commercial districts, learning institutions, residential areas, demographic diversity, public land ownership, stakeholders, safety, and environmental challenges like urban flooding or urban heat island effect.