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Waterfront Parks for Resilience, Ecology, and Community

Abstract

Public parks are increasingly the front line between coastal, fluvial, and pluvial flood events and the resilience of the built environment. Several recent examples of major waterfront development of parks aim to thread the needle of flood protection, ecosystem restoration, and community benefit. This presentation will draw on recent design work of waterfront public parks to make the case for investment in the public good of parks as a way to protect lives and assets while enabling widespread benefits and return on investment. Particular emphasis is placed on the Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Strategy (CHEERS) project along Cleveland, OH, where designers are working with public officials to solve the problem of confined disposal of dredge in a way that restores Lake Erie's lakefront function to communities and the natural environment. Washington, D.C. has some of the most extensive public park space in the US, with a deep history of investment in public parks along waterfronts, including planned projects at RFK Stadium and Poplar Point. Join this presentation to learn more about how parks can work smarter to protect and enhance communities.

About the Speaker

Kara Slocum is a Senior Engineer with Arup, working across North America to restore community spaces to their potential as working ecosystems that serve the public good. Kara has extensive experience with public parks design and project implementation, having previously worked at Landscape Architecture firm Sasaki. Her practice at Arup involves multi-scale and multi-disciplinary projects including the CHEERS park in Ohio and the masterplan of the renovated Liberty State Park in New Jersey. She has a background in ecological engineering, with a Master of Engineering in Civil Engineering from Penn State. She resides in Boston, MA and works on projects across the eastern seaboard and beyond.