At the crossroads of the St Johns and Jacksonville’s downtown, the Landing is a perfect place for a park that expresses the city’s identity.
Pandemic-friendly engagement tactics – like an innovative project hotline – gathered the community’s voice and helped us understand Jacksonville. People talked about the city and the river like long-lost friends. They told us about the draw of the city’s unique natural setting – a dynamic, sunny and riverine place. They remembered experiences of festivals and concerts – and giggled about Jacksonville’s affinity for spectacle and fireworks.
Our design proposal unites these two special and defining forces – the wild nature of the St Johns River and the vibrant culture of Jacksonville – to create a public park that could be nowhere else.
One-of-a-Kind Places. Sunset Hill gives visitors panoramic views of the park’s central plaza, river and sunset. The Oxbow Fountain, shaded by a dynamic river-inspired canopy, allows for family fun and play. Dining decks at the river’s edge sit under artful architecture and answer the community’s call for riverside dining. Streets at the park edges are made pedestrian friendly, allowing for seamless integration of the park with downtown.
Embracing the St Johns. Marsh spaces along the river allow for spaces to reveal the dynamic flood dynamics of the St Johns. These water-loving landscapes also allow for gradual transition and pedestrian refuge to the enhanced boat docking area. Vertical development is held back from the river’s edge, allowing for an elevation ground floor plate to enhance future flood resilience.
Bringing the People of Jacksonville Together. The many different park places work together to create ever-changing event experiences for people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures and abilities. From winter and spring festivals to small and large-scale performances, the park’s places are sized and composed to support active programming.
Our hope for this vision for the Landing is to make a place where people can once again fall in love with the river, the city and maybe even each other.
Our incredible team includes Bryony Roberts Studio, Gresham Smith, Colloqate Design, Dix.Hite + Partners, HR&A Advisors, and Moffatt & Nichol, with Grayscale Collaborative, Goode Landscape, Dunetz Landscape, and High Dive Studio.
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