A Game Plan for Danehy Park

This spring, the City will release a long-range planning document plan for Danehy Park. The plan will guide investment in the park over the next 10–15 years. Multiple City departments and a 15-person Danehy Park Working Group spent two years gathering community feedback, setting project goals, and prioritizing renovation projects. The goal is to maintain what works well today for current users while also adding new features and spaces.

Turning Trash to Treasure

Before Danehy Park opened in 1990, this area of Neighborhood Nine and North Cambridge went through many changes. Before European settlers arrived, the land was known as the "Great Swamp," where thick layers of clay built up over time. That clay helped drive Cambridge's brick industry, and the New England Brick Company (NEBCo.) mined clay here for nearly 50 years, digging as deep as 30 feet. When the clay ran out, the City bought the property in 1951 and turned it into a dump. Over time, trash piled up to nearly 60 feet high.

Eventually, Cambridge's Planning and Development Department studied what to do with the land long-term and concluded that a park was the best option. While park planning was underway, the MBTA was expanding the Red Line. The City made a deal with the MBTA to use soil dug up during that project to cover the trash and create a safe surface for the park.

Planning and building Danehy Park took almost 10 years. The trash and fill underneath created the park's hilly landscape, including Cambridge's highest point. Sports fields were built partly to handle the unstable ground caused by decomposing trash. A man-made wetland was installed to collect rainwater and ensure no contaminated water leaves the park. A trench around the park's edge releases methane gas that generated from the decomposing trash below. At the time, Cambridge was a leader in this kind of park project, and Danehy became a model for similar efforts across the country.

35 Years of Love

When Danehy Park opened, it increased Cambridge's open space by nearly 20%. As one of the City’s largest parks, it has become a central part of community life. The park hosts youth sports, including Cambridge Rindge and Latin School's (CRLS) baseball, softball, and track teams. It also hosts annual events like Jazz Fest, Danehy Family Day, and Shakespeare in the Park. Every day, visitors use the park's walking paths, off-leash dog area, and playgrounds, including the DePasquale Universal Design Playground, built for children of all abilities. The park's high point is popular with runners, kite flyers, and sledders, and public art is featured throughout the park. Natural areas like the wetland and Miyawaki forest have become urban wildlife habitats, attracting birds, pollinators, coyotes, and red-tailed hawks. It's easy to forget there's decomposing trash beneath it all.

As the park has aged, it has needed more and more upkeep. A recent renovation to the Cambridge Champions Track & Field uncovered unexpected methane, highlighting just how complex repairs on a former landfill can be. This reinforced that the park needs a thoughtful, long-term investment plan.

Your Feedback, Our Plan

The Danehy Park Improvements Plan launched in 2024 with a 15-person working group representing a wide range of park users and nearby residents. City staff from the Department of Human Services Programs (DHSP), Community Development Department (CDD), and Department of Public Works (DPW) worked alongside engineering and landscape architecture consultants. The project included over 20 community feedback sessions using online surveys, virtual meetings, pop-up events, and in-person focus groups. The engagement collected more than 1,100 responses in total.

That feedback shaped four project goals: building a strong foundation, creating a welcoming and safe space, connecting people to nature, and encouraging a culture of creative uses of the park.

One message came through loud and clear: the community's top priority is fixing what already exists before adding anything new.

The plan organizes project ideas into near-term, medium-term, and long-term phases, with estimated costs ranges for each. The ideas are recommendations that can be adjusted as needed. All projects are designed with resilience in mind, including the expectation that Cambridge's future climate may resemble today's Atlanta, GA, with hotter temperatures and more intense storms. Projects must also ensure equal access for people of all ages, abilities, and genders. Long-range work from the Fitchburg Crossing and Danehy New Street Connector Path projects will also be incorporated.

Stay Tuned and Stay Involved

The City will review near-term recommendations and begin the design process for specific projects. Some near-term ideas include renovating the Sherman Street Water Garden, softball field improvements, replacing sports lighting, upgrading utilities, improving drainage, developing a plant health management plan, and a wayfinding system — plus more. Each project will include community input to make sure the work meets the needs of residents today and in the future.