Construction is expected to begin in 2016 on a new 16-acre park in San Antonio designed to embody all of the public amenities that make the city unique.
Aaron Seward provides the design and planning details of a new civic park, part of an upcoming overhaul of San Antonio's Hemisfair Park, site of the city's 1968 International Exposition. The article focuses especially on the civic park designed by Seattle-based landscape architecture firm Gustafson Guthrie Nichol. "Inspired by the city’s tradition of public gathering spaces and intimate relationship to its eponymous river, the 16-acre park includes plazas, plantings, and promenades, as well as a meandering water feature," writes Seward.
As for the park's relationship to the larger project of overhauling the 90-acre Hemisfair site, "the project integrates six new buildings, totaling over 600,000 square feet of mixed uses, and provides direct connections between San Antonio’s resurgent core, River Walk, and historic neighborhoods like Lavaca and King William."
Seward also reports on the research that went into creating the new civic space in a city already famous for its outdoor public spaces.
FULL STORY: THE HEMISFAIR CONFLUENCE
An Urbanist’s Guide to St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations
Festivities in these five U.S. cities and towns honor Irish and Irish American culture with an urban planning twist.
Commentary: San Antonio Needs ‘Thoughtful Reforms’ to Improve Affordability
The growing Texas city needs a new approach to meet its residents’ housing and mobility needs.
San Antonio Leaders Look to Revive Dormant Bike Plan
The city’s 12-year-old plan to improve its bike network has made little headway. Now, city leaders hope to revitalize the effort.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
