DENVER, April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The
American Society of Landscape Architects, New York (ASLA-NY) has honored Denver-based urban design and landscape
architecture firm Civitas and W Architecture and Landscape
Architecture of New York with a
2019 Design Award for the Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in
Tampa, Florida. Juried by an
interdisciplinary team and demonstrating "the diverse application
of the practice and its long-term value to people and the
environment we live in," according to ASLA-NY, the 2019 awards were
presented in a ceremony April 11 at
the Center for Architecture in Manhattan and are on exhibit there through the
month of April in celebration of World Landscape Architecture
Month.
Civitas' transformative urban designs come as part of a process
"that deeply engages community and history, insistent on
challenging assumptions and really understanding how the various
complexities fit together," says founding principal Mark Johnson. In the case of the award-winning
25-acre, $36 million Julian B. Lane
Riverfront Park, that process quickly found the team working to
help heal a rift with the West Tampa African-American community,
which had seen the downtown of its once thriving Roberts City razed
in the 1960s to make way for a highway and "urban renewal" that
included the park's original iteration.
Using the in-depth grass roots outreach that Civitas has become
known for as integral to its design process, the team connected
directly with some 40 neighborhood leaders and stakeholders,
unearthing the community's anger at that original park as a
disingenuous "gift" from the city for the racially motivated act of
destroying Roberts City – or "whitewash over a deep-seated racial
problem," as Johnson puts it.
As reimagined by Civitas, the park, a legacy project for
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who was determined to invest in
the West Tampa neighborhood he
calls "underserved for decades," has been designed to serve
community first. Civitas worked closely with West Tampa, granting its wish list for a
majestic space with views of the city for picnicking and gathering,
with state-of-the-art playground and splash pad; first-class
basketball, tennis and football facilities; and the dramatic new
River Center building designed by W Architecture and Landscape
Architecture, which incorporates a city-run boathouse with kayaks,
canoes, paddleboards, dragon boats and sculls below and a community
center above.
"The apparent answer is not always the answer at all," says
Civitas' Johnson, who embraces the social justice aspect of the
project. Indeed, it was initial discussions around a possible
swimming pool that eventually led to a much grander vision for
reestablishing the community's connection with the Hillsborough
River that had been lost in the '60s destruction of Roberts
City.
To create a safe area of water surrounded by pedestrian wharf
space and available for paddle instruction, the Civitas design
reengineered the river itself, relocating the existing seawall and
establishing a long, floating dock to provide comfortable water
access. The dock has since become a desirable place for the
community to sit and watch the paddlers, crew boats, passing boats
and dolphins; and is in weekend use as a stop for a water taxi.
The desire for preserving neighborhood history is present in the
public art incorporated throughout the park, including a
three-dimensional relief mural in the boat house by local team of
fabricators and makers Pep Rally Inc that densely layers references
to the area's Roberts City past.
The revitalized Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park has been a
much-used source of joy and inspiration for the community since its
opening in May 2018 – and is a key
piece in Mayor Buckhorn's mission to reidentify the Hillsborough
River as the center of Tampa's
urban core. "For the first time in decades, the people of
West Tampa have access to the
water, to boating and a myriad of new play in the park," says
Johnson. "It is gratifying to have the ASLA New York chapter
recognize a project that is so close to our hearts for a 2019
Design Award."
About Civitas:
Founded in 1984 with the core purpose of "creating healthier
cities" and celebrating its 35th anniversary this year,
Denver-based Civitas, Inc., is an
idea-based practice of urban designers, architects and landscape
architects engaged in strategic planning for urban change and
project design for built works. Recent honors include both the 2017
International Architecture Award and 2018 American Architecture
Award from the Chicago Athenaeum/European Centre; the Canadian
Institute of Planners "Great Public Space"; a 2017 IMCL Merit
Award; and an Excellence on the Waterfront Award from the nonprofit
Waterfront Center. A consultancy and a design studio, Civitas
advises on a wide range of strategies for re-imagining urban life
and places, working in U.S. cities coast to coast and around the
world. For additional information visit civitasinc.com.
SOURCE Civitas