Riverfront Park is a destination point in Kansas City that has been overlooked for many years. Due to intense flooding issues and soil pollution from the community dumping toxic chemicals on the site, the park suffers from neglect and unsafe soil conditions and is currently only accessible for boat users.
The new vision for Riverfront Park will activate the water front— presenting the rich history and identity of the East Bottoms. The site will also be designed as an educational experience through ecology, remediation, and experiential techniques that inform the users creating interest and exploration throughout the riverfront. This adaptable design will benefit the environment, the safety and health of the impacted communities, and will be resilient towards future flooding. This design will aid in pollution remediation and create a human-nature relationship that allows the park, river, and community to benefit despite the inevitability of the ever-changing future environment.

Through critical analysis, site formation and schematic design charettes, 8 specific areas within Riverfront Park were called out as primary points of programming for the site. Viewshed, curiosity, experience, and the variety in tree canopy and habitats created on the site provides an enriched comprehensive design that fully integrates the public into the natural systems.

The topography and flood levels were considered when creating new topography that will absorb more water, protect the water edge and prevent future erosion.

The trail map shows the primary loop system that allows programming to be discovered through secondary trail links.

This connection creates direct access from Kansas City to Riverfront Park. It is a pedestrian hub with bike racks, restrooms, the park office, and a bus stop available for public use.

Viewshed, topography, and constructed systems all work together to introduce the parks primary importance and purpose for the river and the people.

The formal design of this view shed edge allows a central protected core that creates places to sit, circulate, and enjoy the viewshed of Kansas City, the river edge, and the canal.

An everchanging water level creates a variety of experiences as one moves through this space. It allows for flexible programming and activities throughout the year during hight and low flood waters. Educational use of the water pods allows the community to engage with the park and use the space for studying wildlife and different wet habitats.

A primary view shed of the Kansas City skyline and the Missouri river are the focus points of this space. The theater area can host multiple different scales of entertainment and community interaction.

This area has direct interaction with the the river edge and spans from the lowest elevation of our site to the highest elevation where the climbing tower is located. Topography influences how these areas are influenced and begin to connect. Materiality is considered as it is the primary aspect in controlling erosion on the site, so we created spaces that are east to maintain during flood season.

The Remediation Wetland is bound by the tree canopy to create a unique ecological exploration area that has visual connections to nearby site activities.

The dynamics of the stream opening to the river edge creates an exciting opportunity for the public to have an intimate relationship with the water and natural systems.

Individual view sheds are the focal points at the end of the piers as you are extended away from the river edge, creating an intense river experience.

A study of light, shade, and the tree canopy helps form space and activity opportunities underneath the Chouteau Bridge. Gardens and the view shed are the primary features that pull the user through the structure to the river edge.

A lightweight wooden and metal structure creates the public walkway that gives the public access to all aspects of the park as it acts as the spine of the east side of the Riverfront Park.

In phase one of development, the goal is to connect back to chestnut trafficway and Berkley Riverfront Park to make this part of the Kessler Parks and Boulevards System and the Rails-to-Trails movement.

In this map, you can see how we proposed that the topography be transformed to reduce water pollution, erosion, and flooding, and allows for new habitats to form.

Programmatic design development with the trail, Viewshed, tree canopy and hydrology study allowed adaptable saces to be formed that have unique identities throughout the park. The following images are the zoomed in design ideas of the areas highlighted on this map. They are organized in succession from the west side of the park (near Chestnut Trafficway) to the East end of the Park (near Chouteau Trafficway Bridge).

This site is embedded in its context and creates a visual connection to the river, the East Bottoms, and Downtown Kansas City

This section through Independence shows the relationship Riverfront Park has with its overall context. As we look closer at the immediate side, one can see how Chestnut trafficway connects through to the river edge. Pedestrians are led up a pathway crossing the levee that has direct entry into the park.

Green space allows this constructed adge to become pervious natural space that shelters users from the changing conditions of the environment and provides a division between the canal and the river edge.

This park is tucked away from the river edge, creating a completely different experience on the site and has direct access as it is open to the Levee Trail. More intimate spaces are held within the tree canopy creating a balance between passive and active activity.

The primary viewshed in Riverfront Park is celebrated by the creation of a multi-use ampitheater that provides opportunity for a variety of uses and scales as well as highlights the natural ecology of the river’s living shoreline.

View sheds pull the users up the hill to the climbing tower on the highest elevation of the site. Here, they can see the surrounding Kansas City area and the Missouri River.

A natural habitat is discovered that allows direct water interaction, soil remediation, water remediation, and the depth of the forest to be emphasized through revealing layers.

In the Fishing Piers section, individual piers peak out through the wetland forest and provide a personal intimate view for an individual.

Topographic changes and the living shoreline are highlighted in this space as the island and vegetation adapt to the ever-changing river edge.

The recycling hub creates a direct connection for pedestrians to transition from the mixed use industrial area to an ecological tour of the River Front Park forest. As the trail weaves through the underside of the bridge, the view sheds, light, and primary points allow the viewer to be integrated with nature.

In phase two, further remediation and limited intervention would occur along the river belt connecting the users to the east side of the site. They will be welcomed with an ecological and industrial tour of the Working landscape.

The above map shows how different programs are discovered through the experience of walking the trail and is tightly integrated into the natural systems. Multiple habitats are formed using the natural amenities on the site which allows the users to have fun, educational, and environmentally focused tours.

The Destination point at the end of Chestnut Ave. connects you to the River Front Park river edge. A bridge diminishes the train obstruction allowing a folly tower to hold view sheds and important amenities for the trail park head to connect you directly to the levee.

An opening in the tree canopy creates Direct viewsheds to the river edge, pulling users through the space. As they move through, the are able to see views of the outfall canal habitat that is created to remediate and clean combined sewer outfall.

This constructed island protects the river from further erosion and allows a break in the current to slow the water flow on this bend of the river.

The constructed edge protects, adapts, and provides a variety of activities and water access

Nature becomes the dominate feature in this area as the changing water levels allow for an adaptive relationship, creating a variety of uses for the space. A stream is constructed in the topography to reduce erosion and control water flow through the site to prevent flood risk.

A variation between intimate garden spaces and open theater terraces will produce the seating to admire the views and host entertainment.

The viewing tower gives a 360 view of the city and allows the viewer to understand where they are located in the park.

The river edge allows people to become fully integrated with the ecology of the area.

These decks are tucked into the forest, creating a sense of privacy for quiet activities.

The Chouteau Access Point utilizes the unique underpass to allow the structrue to dominate the space as pathways weave through the massive space underneath the bridge.

The pathway and bridge draw the individual to the end of the pathway and creates a unique experience between view shed, watershed, and the built environment.