Gresham Smith is excited to announce that Parkland Plaza in Louisville’s historic Parkland Neighborhood opened to the public on Saturday, July 23. Gresham Smith served as the primary design consultant for the project and was responsible for developing the final site design into a permanent solution. Project stakeholders, designers, community members and Louisville government officials gathered to commemorate the grand opening milestone.
The revitalized historic town center and commercial corridor previously lacked open green space and was transformed into an engaging park that now provides flexible spaces for play, entertainment and gathering for the community. The outdoor space features seating, an event stage, picnic tables, native plantings and an increased tree canopy.
“This project represents pride, power and purpose that the community has for the Parkland neighborhood, and it is an honor that we helped bring it to fruition,” says Louis Johnson, Senior Landscape Architect, PLA, ASLA. “Parkland Plaza exemplifies how our expertise can help implement a strong community vision and address a dire need by listening to a project’s end-users.”
The project responds to the neighborhood’s effects of urban renewal and lack of public parks. Bolstered by strong community activism led by local leaders and stakeholders, the Gresham Smith design team and collaborators hosted virtual design charrettes during COVID to gain feedback on the overall design from neighbors.
This project was completed in collaboration with TreesLouisville, Center for Neighborhoods, 1200 LLC, Parkland Business District and Louisville Metro Government. The project received a Merit Award for Design Non-Constructed in 2022 by the American Society of Landscape Architects’ Kentucky Chapter at their annual conference.
