Honoring Design Solutions to Urban Ills

Bay Area landscape architect, Walter Hood, to be honored by city of Oakland, CA for his influential urban park designs.

1 minute read

April 29, 2004, 12:00 PM PDT

By Erin Clark


"'Mr. Hood has transformed several of Oakland's neglected parks,'' said a statement from Mayor Brown's office, 'into community assets that helped reshape their neighborhoods.' A prime example, the mayor's office said, is the recently completed Splashpad Park, a nearly $900,000 remake of a dilapidated plot near Lake Merritt that was surrounded by traffic and almost sold by the city for development before area residents objected...the site with its forlorn fountain epitomized the kind of challenge that Hood finds invigorating. Using layers of plants and varied surfaces, including crushed granite, wood, brick, concrete and grass, Hood has sought to provide 'rooms' for different activities."

Thanks to Erin Clark

Saturday, April 24, 2004 in The San Francisco Chronicle

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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