Harold Simmons Park along Trinity River, Dallas, Texas, USA

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Created at: 04 Jan 2020

Description

After the great flood of 1908, Trinity River was moved away from downtown Dallas to the west, and levees were built to protect the city from future flooding. This left Trinity River disconnected from the public by long stretches of undeveloped land and a general lack of access (MVVA, 2016). In an effort to connect the river with the city, Dallas is nowadays creating an 115ha-park named after Harold Simmons, as a part of the Trinity River Corridor Project1 (Figure 4A). The Harold Simmons Park project is set to be completed by 2021. The designer, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA), envisions the space of the Harold Simmons Park as a network of trails, meadows and lakes along Trinity River. The concept of the park is based on two main elements: civic spaces and naturalistic landscapes. Civic spaces, such as playgrounds, fountains, plazas and lawns, are located in 5 access parks at the upper level of the river’s levees, connecting the urban fabric to the floodplain. These amenities are therefore protected from flooding. Naturalistic landscapes along the river are supposed to restore the ecological function and natural beauty of the channel. The design enables rich river habitat with thriving wildlife and diverse landscapes from prairie to wetlands. However, the main purpose of the park is to provide protection from major flood events.

This project for Trinity River Park achieves three main goals. By using region-specific native flora and natural features, as well as bioswales as elements of green infrastructure, Harold Simmons Park will: (1) Provide recreational opportunities for people, (2) Restore the ecosystem and at the same time (3) Preserve the floodplain’s resilience against river overflow to surrounding structures. The true impacts of this waterfront revitalization will be determined once the project is completed.


Samenvatting (Dutch description)

Harold Simmons Park along Trinity River, Dallas, Texas, USA

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