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Parks, Plazas & Central Squares NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS AND OPEN SPACES

WADE OVAL Cleveland, Ohio (2001-Present)

PPS recently began helping citizens in Cleveland, Ohio revitalize an urban park whose size belies its potential influence. Wade Oval is just 5 acres, but it's uniquely situated amid five cultural institutions, including the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland Botanical Garden, and Cleveland Art Museum. We plan to connect the institutions to one another and to the park, partly through small changes to building facades and outdoor areas that reveal more information about what's going on inside these buildings (most of which are undergoing expansion). We also envision making the Oval itself - and the boulevard around it - more welcoming to both visitors and the local community, enlivened by events and activities programmed by the rich array of partners around it. In helping these partners benefit from their location on the Oval, we believe this place will deliver on its potential to become one of the most important destinations in the U.S. Client: University Circle, Inc.

PHILADELPHIA GREEN EVALUATION Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1997)

PPS conducted an evaluation for the William Penn Foundation to identify successful activities of Philadelphia Green, a community greening program of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. The evaluation of four low-income, central Philadelphia neighborhoods, entailed both overall program evaluation and an examination of what strategies go farthest to enhance and sustain the public's perceptions and use of specific sites, including community gardens, neighborhood parks, housing projects and tree-planted streets.  Client: William Penn Foundation.

CASA BLANCA NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENTS Riverside, California (1994)

PPS worked with the Riverside Development Department, Riverside City and County Public Library and the residents of Casa Blanca, a primarily Hispanic neighborhood, to develop plans for improving their street and for a new public square and cultural center/library. Through a series of meetings with the neighborhood leadership, local college and university officials, city development and law enforcement personnel and by hosting well-attended public workshops, plans for the reclaiming of Casa Blanca's Madison Street as the neighborhood Main Street and for the creation of a cultural center/ library with a central square, have been shaped. Streetscape improvements include neckdowns, planted medians, welcome signs, and angled parking near the shops, churches and library. School classes are preparing their own designs for the library/ cultural center, which is being financed with already dedicated bond monies. The central square is to be constructed adjacent to the library for community activities such as a market, children's play area, performances and other activities, with adjacent incubator commercial/retail space. Client: City of Riverside, Development Department.

WHITE PARK Riverside, California (1994)

The development of a plan for White Park was part of a plan to revitalize a 10-block area in downtown Riverside. Historically, the park was surrounded by residences, yet was only one block from the central business district, however, by 1994 most of the residences had been torn down and replaced with parking lots or buildings with blank walls. As a result, the park became severely abused, and homeless people started living there. Working with the City and surrounding community, PPS developed a plan both to renovate the park and to restore the area around the park with small-scale residential units as were there previously.  Client: City of Riverside.

ALBERT PARKSan Rafael, California (1991-1992)

PPS conducted a series of community workshops and meetings to address the improvement of Albert Park, and assisted the parks director with collecting data about park use and perception. Based on this input, PPS developed a plan that included a formal garden in conjunction with San Rafael's sister city in Italy, bocce courts, and a front porch on the senior center. The community took on major responsibility for implementation, with community members taking photographs, visiting and observing examples of parks in other cities, raising money, and working with the city to oversee construction. The bocce courts have become a major source of civic pride and activity. With the new senior center orientation, the seniors, who rarely ventured into the park before, now are frequent users and have formed a bocce league of their own.  Client: Recreation Director, City of San Rafael Parks Department.

OCCIDENTAL PARK Seattle, Washington (1991)

PPS, working with the landscape architecture firm EDAW and the local community, developed an improvement program and implementation strategy for Occidental Park, which is centrally located within Seattle's historic Pioneer Square area. The planning process began with a survey designed to measure people's current use and perceptions of Occidental Park, followed by observations of and interviews with current park users and public and private sector individuals who had responsibility for the Park. Several community meetings were held to develop consensus on park problems and ideas for changes that should be made. A Working Committee was established to guide the implementation of the plan, which was essentially developed by the community through a process developed by PPS. Client: City of Seattle, Department of Parks.

SUTTON AREA IMPROVEMENT PLAN New York, New York (1990)

PPS assisted the Sutton Area Community (SAC) neighborhood organization in identifying issues and establishing priorities for improvement projects. Members of the community were organized into committees to deal with issues such as security, parks, plazas, street amenities, and traffic and transportation. Under PPS's supervision, the community collected most of the on-site data. Residents filmed neighborhood traffic congestion, using time-lapse photography, timed pedestrians at intersections, interviewed people, and recorded activities throughout the day at bus stops and in parks and plazas. Merchants, doorman and others were also interviewed. PPS developed a questionnaire on local park issues that was distributed by the community to 10,000 households.  Client: Sutton Area Community, Inc.

PHIPPS HOUSES OPEN SPACES Bronx, New York (1989)

PPS was hired by Phipps Houses to develop conceptual designs for all public spaces adjacent to 19 buildings in the South Bronx that were being rehabilitated for low-income tenants. The spaces included building entrances and courtyards, alleys behind buildings, park-type spaces adjacent to the buildings, and a space behind a day care center. The objective was to develop spaces to be used and enjoyed by residents that would instill a feeling of pride and ownership in the buildings, and contribute to the security of both the buildings and the neighborhood.  Client: Phipps Houses.

MEARS PARK St. Paul, Minnesota (1988)

Mears Park is a unique and important open space within a nationally recognized historic district developed in Lowertown, St. Paul. The City of St. Paul, the St. Paul Downtown Council and the Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation hired PPS to evaluate the use and potential of the park in order to identify strategies for improvement and enhancement. PPS analyzed the physical conditions and user characteristics of Mears Park and developed opportunities for physical and programmatic improvements. The City Parks Department and St. Paul architects have implemented these improvements.  Client: City of St. Paul.

BUSCH PARK Woodside, Queens (1986)

Working with Woodside on the Move and the City of New York Parks Department, PPS analyzed the use of Busch Park and then developed a plan for its renovation. The Park, which is located near the central business district in Woodside, Queens, had deteriorated and no longer adequately served the needs of neighborhood residents. PPS also worked with a New York sculptor to develop a design for a small fountain as a focal point for the Park.

MANHATTAN WEST New York, New York (1986)

PPS participated in the preparation of an environmental impact statement for a mixed-use development on the West Side of Manhattan. PPS's work primarily involved the identification and evaluation of all existing open spaces around the proposed site; analysis of impact of the proposed development on these spaces; and the preparation of preliminary concepts for the design of a new public space that could be built as part of the proposed project.  Client: Daniel Brodsky.

DOWNTOWN PUBLIC OPEN SPACES PROJECT Denver, Colorado (1984)

PPS conducted an evaluation of all of the public spaces (both privately and publicly owned) in downtown Denver for the Denver Partnership. The results of the project were specific design and management recommendations for public space improvements, a handbook for public space owners on the process of making public space improvements, and guidelines for public space development.  Client: The Denver Partnership.

PUBLIC SPACES IN SUBSIDIZED HOUSING PROJECTS New York, New York (l981-82)

In order to determine how the public spaces in public housing projects in New York City could be better designed, PPS evaluated the way the public spaces in and around subsidized housing projects were actually being used by their residents. Interviews were conducted with building managers, tenants, and project architects and on-site observations were made of the use or lack of use of spaces such as lobbies, community rooms, laundries and playgrounds.  Funding: New York Community Trust and the New York State Council on the Arts.