Innovation Guide - 2020 - 9

The Best in Innovation
Innovation in Park Design
- Spokane Parks and
Recreation, Washington
Riverfront Spokane, U.S. Pavilion
and Howard Street Promenade
At the heart of Eastern Washington, Spokane Falls is a sacred
tribal gathering space. A forwardlooking vision transformed the
site into the home of Expo '74,
the 1974 World's Fair, and today's
Riverfront Park.
More than 40 years after Expo,
citizens overwhelmingly approved
a $64 million bond to redevelop
Riverfront. " It's the reimagining of
a 40-year-old urban space - built
to be temporary - into the most
incredible opportunity for river
views, illumination and gatherings, " says Garrett Jones, director
of Spokane Parks and Recreation.
The main goal of the project,
as identified in the master plan,
is that Riverfront Park should
bring community together at
the river and provide places that
celebrate the region's history,
bioregion and people. One of the
key projects focused on bringing
the pavilion back to life as the
community's central gathering
place. The pavilion's iconic power is heightened by being a public
place, where all are welcome at
no charge to bask in its glow!

tive barrier, capped with two feet
of clean soil and planted grass.
The department also needed
to find a unique way to illuminate the pavilion - no easy task,
given the engineering required
for a lightweight, safe, wind- and
snow-compatible solution for
aging cables. NAC Architecture
created a template of a " light
blade " - lightweight Plexiglas
lined with LED nodes. The Pavilion features 479 blades of varied lengths, providing 2,262 feet
of illumination that has radically
changed the Spokane skyline.
Community Engagement
and Partnerships
A robust project scoping and
master
planning
initiative
helped " right size " the project
budget and prioritized programming that led to the overwhelming passage of the funding park
bond with more than 68 percent
approval. Engagement continued as bond priorities were
translated to actionable design,
including outreach to the general public, citizen advisory groups
and targeted stakeholder groups.
Engagement with the Spokane

Congratulations to Spokane Parks and Recreation
for winning the overall 2020 Best in Innovation
Award for its project, Riverfront Spokane, U.S. Pavilion and Howard Street Promenade.

Tribe created Snxw Mene (sinhoo-men-huh): Salmon People
Island as part of the city's concerted effort to forge a more rich and
genuine relationship with the Spokane Tribe. In addition, a wide
variety of citizen advisory groups
launched this project, including
a Citizens Advisory Committee,
Design Steering Committee, Public Art Committee, Park Board
and Accessibility Workgroup.
Looking Ahead
To ensure frequent investment
into the park, the Spokane Parks
and Recreation department created three new ventures: The
Fund for Riverfront Spokane, an
ongoing campaign to fund capital
improvements beyond those covered by the bond; Friends of Riverfront, a volunteer base with ambassador and fundraising roles;
and a Community Engagement
department, with dedicated staff
who program the pavilion with
free and low-cost activities.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPOKANE PARKS AND RECREATION

Innovation
Being the site of a former rail
yard, the Spokane Parks and Recreation department encountered
thousands of tons of contaminated soil. Rather than hauling
'dirty dirt' off-site, the department
reused tons of it in the pavilion
to build up amphitheater seating,
while mitigating it with a protecA main goal of the Riverfront Spokane
project is to bring community together.
PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G | 2 02 0 I N N OVAT I O N G U I D E |

Parks & Recreation

Innovation Guide - 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Innovation Guide - 2020