March 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 61

a community process. When we
thought we knew what people wanted, but weren't dedicated in our community engagement. That's why all
of our public projects follow a process of engagement. Because if the
communities feel like they are part of
this process, there is more ownership
into the final outcome.
P&R: What has been one of your favorite projects to date - what did
you enjoy most about it and why?
Eisenberger: I recently finished working on a large redevelopment and
open space plan in downtown St.
Louis along the Mississippi River. The
St. Louis North Riverfront Redevelopment and Open Space plan included
development strategies and a conceptual open space plan for the 180-acre
area directly north of the Gateway
Arch, where the grounds and museum are currently being renovated. The
project, funded by Great Rivers Greenway, the city of St. Louis and the
St. Louis Development Corporation,
reimagines what's possible within this
area of St. Louis.
One of the key development strategies is to extend the green network
north from the central riverfront
along Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard
and develop a riverfront park to act as
a catalyst for redevelopment. During
Gathering feedback from the public is an
essential step when planning a new build
or redesign - engaging future users before
a plan is executed helps to ensure the right
mix of amenities is included.

the concept design phase, we identified an area of the plan as a riverfront
park that would link to existing trails
and greenways and look for new opportunities for connections west back
into the central business district of
St. Louis. The team tracked their design process with public engagement
that included multiple meetings with
technical advisers, residents and citizen advisory committees, who provided much of the feedback related
to the park and open space program.
The idea of riverfront parks stimulating urban redevelopment is not
new - river cities across America
are looking to redevelop these sometimes-forgotten areas and are envisioning them as places where people can live, work and play. So, we
were very excited when Great Rivers
Greenway approached the Forum
Studio team to do a detailed master
plan for the riverfront park and develop a schematic design for an area
of around 21 acres. There will be
challenges, of course - when you
attempt to develop parks adjacent to
rivers, especially in this area of the
Mississippi River, flooding can occur
at any time. We need to develop park
amenities and landscapes that are
durable and maintainable - a design that takes cues from nature and
how it would develop along a river's

edge. But, there are also opportunities when you develop along a river
- especially a river like the Mississippi. The city of St. Louis invested
in infrastructure years ago to provide
a protected area for vessels to dock
in this area of the riverfront. Think
about the possibility of having a
barge park or a barge beer garden, or
the possibility of a cultural exchange
of sorts. What if a park barge from
Memphis came to dock for a summer
barbecue festival or a barge from New
Orleans came as part of a jazz festival? As the team works through the
schematic design, we will be meeting
again with the community to make
sure we equitably provide all the recreation, education and social spaces
that citizens desire in an exciting new
riverfront park.
P&R: You're currently working with
NRPA and our corporate sponsors
on the 2016 Parks Build Community project in St. Louis. Trojan Park
will be built from scratch - what
did you know, right off the bat, that
you wanted to include there, and
what did you know wouldn't work
at all?
Eisenberger: We knew we wanted a
flexible community gathering space
as the main feature of the park. We
developed a splash plaza and an adjacent shade pavilion that when not
used can serve as places for a farmers market, family reunion or seating
area for a movie night. We knew,
however, given maintenance and
safety issues, that a typical restroom
facility would not work. There will,
however, be a structure that will
house portable toilets for user's comfort. We want Trojan Park to be a
success and want to set up the city of
Wellston for success.
Samantha Bartram is the Executive Editor
of Parks & Recreation magazine (sbartram@
nrpa.org).

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March 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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