Mediative Urbanisms – Entry 113
Presented by
Michael Espenan – michael (at) ejmichael (dot) com
Louisville, KY
Dan Delongchamp – ddelongchamp (at) gmail (dot) com
Patrick Henry
RECLAIMING A PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
The Beargrass Creek is a heavily polluted waterway, which wraps around the Irish Hill neighborhood; fishing, swimming, and contact with the water is prohibited. Sediment entering the water stream from eroding slopes has created a highly turbid water quality inhibiting fish spawn and habitat. Now is the time to reconnect disparaged neighborhoods and fragmented open space by building a sustainable neighborhood with modern stormwater treatment, maximized open space, and connectivity to downtown Louisville via transit hub. Reconnecting train travel will enrich the neighborhoods, shops and light industry surrounding the newly created destination. This thriving new town center design proposes the following features:
- Transit hub featuring bike storage, parking and drop off area with shops patios and views to Beargrass Creek.
- Mixed use buildings with iconic architecture to draw in visitors from a distance.
- A healthy Middle Fork Beargrass Creek with improved water quality and water access points.
- Bicycle infrastructure with raised bike lanes located away from traffic and a connections to regional bike paths.
- A community park with little league baseball diamond and playground.
- Stormwater control using; Bioswales, Rain Gardens, Permeable Pavement, Green Roofs, Stormwater Treatment Wetlands, Root Wads + Stone Armoring on the creeks cut banks, improved habitat using a native planting and invasive removal strategy.
- Multiuse paths with boardwalks, nature trails, promenades, parks, and patio space.
Looking carefully at the history of the site, limestone outcropings, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and topography we assembled the site analysis into a priority list of design do’s and don’ts. Creating a landmark building and not disturbing the natural ground plane were major objectives. Enhancing the local environment and increasing connectivity also were main stays in the design process.
