Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park has been heralded as Tampa’s missing “here” and the crown jewel in the city’s Riverwalk, a bold urban plan conceived to reactivate the Hillsboro River and downtown Tampa. The master plan sets the park as the district’s focal point, positioning the Riverwalk, museums, and park buildings to the park and the waterfront. The plan boldly called for the removal of an old museum and sprawling parking garage that had denied the city access to its riverfront.
The park’s southern border connects with the renovated Kiley Garden, which had previously been elevated above grade, discouraging public access and enjoyment. A pedestrian bridge now connects both park spaces and gives new meaning to the garden. The Tampa Museum of Art and Glazer Children’s Museum have sprouted culture and family activities at the park, near the Great Lawn, an area surrounded by trees and scaled to accommodate large and small events. The lawn is framed on either end by fountain plazas that can become venues for larger festivals. The design carves into the sloping topography to reveal terraced lawn panels that spill down from the museum terraces and garden promenade. A linear park pavilion with restrooms, offices, a café, a visitor center, and a restaurant with unparalleled river views activates the southern edge.
The interactive louver and mist fountains at either end of the park are designed to capture Tampa’s imagination while cooling its residents. Distinctive fountains, pavement, and pylon lights extend the nighttime draw of citizens to the glowing park. Located along the Riverwalk and taking sculptural cues from the Museum of Art are a contemporary play area and urban dog run. Innovative lawn rafts, timber chairs, concrete loungers, and picnic tables reflect a commitment to 21st-century comforts beyond the conventional bench, drawing enthusiastic crowds to downtown Tampa’s new front lawn.
Bayfront Parks Master Plan
Bounded by the scenic Hudson to the east, Jersey City is lined with high-rise towers and waterfront parks offering views of Manhattan. To the west, the often-overlooked Hackensack features wetlands, industry, and degraded post-industrial sites. The Bayfront Redevelopment Master Plan aims to transform a formerly contaminated 100-acre site on the Hackensack Rive...
South Waterfront Greenway
A bold new plan for the area along the Willamette River includes a 1-1/2 mile extension of the City’s downtown’s parks and the reclamation of the river’s edge for public recreation. Working closely with the City of Portland, developers, and natural resource advocates, the design team devised a rational plan that places access and activity in targeted nodes wit...
Aitken Place Park
Aitken Place Park is at the heart of Toronto’s East Bayfront Community – an area transformed from an underutilized industrial brownfield into a vibrant waterfront neighborhood. Flanked by the residential development to the west and the commercial buildings to the north, the park’s water’s edge location creates a unique destination that invites residents, touri...
OCT Bao’an Waterfront Cultural Park
Bao’an Waterfront Park is an essential amenity for future residents of Shenzhen’s rapidly expanding Qianhai area, and is also an important connection between the urban fabric and the ocean. The key landscape frameworks for the park are its riverine interpretation aspects and water’s edge programs. The “Eco River” will bring water experiences into the green spa...