March 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 60

D E S I G N M AT T E R S
Successful public spaces are developed with
the user in mind and include features like
multi-modal transportation to encourage
visits from a wide range of people.

in Chicago, Illinois, and St. Louis,
Missouri, and specifically with the
talents of Senior Associate/Senior
Landscape Architect Neil Eisenberger. The University of Arkansas
graduate has more than 20 years of
experience designing a wide variety
of projects, from small-scale plazas
and public spaces to large-scale master plans and urban design efforts.
Parks & Recreation magazine asked
Eisenberger to share some of his
architectural insights, as well as his
considerations for creating engaging
and beautiful public spaces.
Parks & Recreation magazine: How
do you first approach a park design
project - what are some important initial considerations?
Neil Eisenberger: First, understand the
client and the users and their desires. At
the outset of a park project, we like to
do community engagement to determine the needs of the surrounding residents. We know that parks are not just
places to recreate, but, more than that,
are spaces that when developed correctly can build or strengthen a community.
It's the " build community " thinking that
58	 Parks & Recreation

we share with the citizens - health and
fitness, arts and education, and play and
social development. This " triple-bottom-line " thinking looks to develop
parks with a multitude of recreation and
education options for all ages.
P&R: Talk about ways in which the
design of a park or public open
space can influence how people utilize that space.
Eisenberger: When we develop our
parks we think about how they function from the user's standpoint. For
larger parks we like to cluster activities that involve family gathering at
the center. We cluster our social and
cultural amenities, such as pavilions
and gathering spaces, near our play
areas for greater visibility of our children - we usually call these areas
the " heart of the park. " Then, we
plan for a major pedestrian connector that provides users with direct
access from one end of the park to
the other...we call this connector or
promenade the " spine. " We typically
place our largest open areas of recreation, like sports fields, outbound or
surrounding the heart of the park.

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P&R: What would you say is the
most important consideration
when designing a park or public
open space and what amenities
should always be included?
Eisenberger: I feel the most important consideration is to develop it for all
ages. A park or open space that links
generation to generation and provides
opportunities for both is the most
successful. Amenities, such as walking loops or fitness areas, that serve
to provide health and wellness for the
community are a must. For play and
social development, features should be
present that serve toddlers to teens and
offer opportunities for adults to meet as
well. Lastly, amenities for arts and education also need to be present - opportunities to share local music or art
and landscapes that not only function
to capture stormwater and provide butterfly habitat, but also provide opportunities for children to learn about the
environment around us.
P&R: Talk about a time when a design failed and had to be revised.
Eisenberger: We've had some designs fail when we failed to follow
March 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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