Court Street Plaza

Project Narrative

(1) Once a bustling hub of commerce, Court Street had become little more than an urban parking lot in disrepair and a series of band-aid “quick fixes” over the decades.
(2) Court Street’s condition was hardly befitting of its position as the epicenter of the downtown core and the opportunity to correct course presented itself. It is positioned to be a vital “stepping stone” among several between Over-the-Rhine and Riverfront along Vine, connecting to four urban neighborhoods and within walking distance from an incredible constellation of significant civic assets and open spaces Street.
(3) In the presence of established ground floor businesses, residential lofts, corporate headquarters, the courthouse, and anew grocery, Court Street Plaza is poised not just as a service-oriented destination but a social hub for a growing urban neighborhood.
(4) To capture the input of a broad audience, the design team devised a robust strategy to engage diverse stakeholders, including surveys, interviews, and 3D tools to help visualize, inspire, and inform.
(5)
(6) The framework focuses on replacing a one-way couplet and angled parking with two-way traffic, convenience parking, and equitable pedestrian places to make it adaptable day-to-day and for event programming.
(7) The transformation can be summarized by 5 big moves: One, get the two sides talking to one another to mitigate the vast scale of the corridor.
(8) Two, make the ground plane one level… no curbs to get in the way of adaptable programming, accessibility, and circulation.
(9) Three, use vegetation to frame views of significant architecture and define use areas.
(10) Four, balance spaces for cars and places for people to activate and enliven the corridor.
(11) Finally, introduce pedestrian-scale lighting to enhance comfort, safety, and experience.
(12)
(13) These timeliness principles are the building blocks of great urban spaces,
(14) A canvas for community programming.
(15) And a beacon for future vitality.

                                           

Project Details

Submission Category

Landscape Architecture & Community Planning – Implementation

Date of Completion

April, 2021