Petersburg

The City of Petersburg is bounded to the north by the Appomattox River, at the northeastern end of Dinwiddie County. The city has a total area of 23.2 square miles and is located approximately 9 miles from the neighboring City of Hopewell to the northeast. Petersburg is 22 miles south of Richmond, Virginia. According to the 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the City of Petersburg has a population of 31,362 people. The median age is 38.1, which is 0.1 years older than the national average. In the City of Petersburg, 24.1% of residents live below the poverty level. The median household income is $38,679, which is $27,434 lower than the national median income. Within the City of Petersburg, residents are 78.4% African American, 19.4% white, 1.4% Asian, and 0.6% Native American. 28.2% of residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher level of education, compared to the national rate of 32.1% Preservation of the Appomattox has profound implications for both public and environmental health, as well as economic development along the riverfront. According to the City of Petersburg, Virginia Comprehensive Plan 2014, several initiatives have been identified to allow for simultaneous economic development and ecological conservation. These include (1) preserving selected greenfields on the Southside to bolster flood resilience through low-lying marshlands; (2) redeveloping downtown brownfields along the Appomattox through economic revitalization efforts; and (3) improving wastewater treatment infrastructure to reduce nitrate and phosphorus contamination.

 “Downtown Petersburg” by Ken Lund is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Petersburg's Scorecard

Petersburg's Opportunity List

Petersburg's Resilience Action Checklist

Greening Petersburg: Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives Open House 

On September 23, 2024 the City of Petersburg hosted an open house at the Petersburg Public Library. The event was hosted by the City of Petersburg with support from community partners and facilitation from the Institute for Engagement & Negotiation (IEN) at the University of Virginia as part of The Resilience Adaptation Feasibility Tool (RAFT) process and the Green Infrastructure Center. The Open House summary is available to download here. 

Petersburg Trolley Survey Results

The City of Petersburg partnered with the Institute for Engagement & Negotiation at the University of Virginia and local partners involved with the Resilience Adaptation Feasibility Tool (RAFT) to collect and synthesize community input, develop a proposed free trolley route, and develop resources needed to apply for funding to support the operations of a new free trolley route. The results of the survey are available to download here.

Products from Professor Bev Wilson's Civic Technologies Class at the University of Virginia

In the fall 2023 semester, students at the University of Virginia utilized mapping and storytelling tools to develop presentations on micro-mobility, food access, equitable broadband, and oral histories in the City of Petersburg. The student presentations can be viewed here. The students' StoryMaps and final products are available below. 

• The Case for Micro-mobility (map)

• PHOPs Food Access (map)

• Equitable Broadband (map)

• Civil Rights Oral Histories (site)

Products from Professor Karen Firehock's Green Sites Class at the University of Virginia

In the Spring 2024 semester, students at the University of Virginia developed green infrastructure design proposals at various sites across the City of Petersburg. These projects aimed to analyze urban sites and create design standards for a stormwater and ecological retrofit plan – finding ways to infiltrate and clean water and add green spaces and habitat for people and wildlife. These projects were prepared as recommendations to the City of Petersburg from students at the University of VA. These are for consideration by the city but are not yet adopted as policies. 

• Wilcox Lake Revitalization
• City of Petersburg: Tree Ordinance Review and Recommendations
• Halifax Triangle Design Proposal
• Beautifying and Revitalizing Petersburg's Downtown
• BrickHouse Run Redesign

Products from Professor Karen Firehock's Green Infrastructure Class at the University of Virginia

In the fall 2023 semester, students at the University of Virginia developed a comprehensive, Strategic Green Infrastructure Plan spanning Trees, Water, Parks & Recreation, and Culture & History. This report on Green Infrastructure Strategies was prepared as recommendations to the City of Petersburg from students at the University of VA. These are for consideration by the city but are not yet adopted as policies. Original land cover data used to inform the work was created pro bono by the Green Infrastructure Center Inc. under a grant from the VA Department of Forestry.

• Strategies for Conserving the Green Infrastructure of Petersburg, VA - Final Report
• Green Infrastructure Strategies for the City of Petersburg - Final Presentation 

Products from the Urban & Environmental Planning Graduate Capstone Class at the University of Virginia

In the Spring 2023 semester, graduate students at the University of Virginia proposed the CREATE program for the City of Petersburg. The program was envisioned to address the issues that the city currently faces relating to climate adaptation planning, land use and transportation planning, and economic development. The full report can be accessed here.