Rudy Bruner Award Collection

Title

Louisville Waterfront Park

Description

2013 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence - Silver Medal

Louisville Waterfront Park in Kentucky is a reclaimed 85-acre riverfront park that reconnects the city with the Ohio River and spurred significant investment in the district. The project transformed industrial land marred by past construction into a riverside park and that is now the gateway to the city and attracts 1.5 million visitors per year. There are a variety of informal and organized activities including festivals, concerts, fireworks and special events along with riverside restaurants and a boathouse and marina. The landscaped areas around a central great lawn include a series of linked spaces with performance venues, playgrounds, picnic areas, two marinas, and trails decorated with public art by local artists. The park has sparked an estimated $1.3 billion investment in the Waterfront District, including residential apartments and sports arenas, providing a sustainable future for the space.

Planning for the $95 million project began in 1986 with the creation of the Waterfront Development Corporation (WDC), a quasi-public agency, to oversee the development of the riverfront. In the public meetings WDC held to solicit input on proposed development—park planners were committed to creating a sense of ownership of the project in the community—residents expressed a strong desire for green space and access to the river. The park provides that and more. It is a truly democratic and unifying space, attracting people from every ethnic and social background and from every neighborhood in the city.

Coverage

Louisville, KY

Date

2012

Subject

waterfronts

parks

public spaces

urban beautification

environmental planning

recreation areas

brownfield remediation

pedestrian bridges

Rights

This digital collection is made available for research and educational purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining copyright status, and securing permissions for use and publication of any material. Copyright for items in this collection may be held by the creators, their heirs, or assigns. Researchers are required to obtain written permission from copyright holders and the University Archives prior to reproducing or publishing materials, including images and quotations. For inquiries about reproduction requests and permissions, please contact the University Archives at: http://library.buffalo.edu/archives/.