Sustainability by balancing regional infrastructure with ecology and local urban life 

This project recovers Charlesgate for people and natural systems after it was enshadowed and fractured by elevated roads for a generation. Pathways are designed to double-function for equipment access (lift and vacuum trucks) for viaduct maintenance and repair. Rain-gardens in recreation areas treat roadway runoff, store floodwater and create pollinator habitat. The river's edge is reshaped to protect from floods, and also provide public access and riparian species habitat. The design utilizes standard material palettes of the involved public agencies (transportation, parks and water) in unexpected ways to allow for easy co-maintenance. By integrating considerations of infrastructure, natural systems and public realm, there is sustainability through shared use, maintenance and investment.

Sustainability by uniting public and private sector actors towards common goals 

Echoing the physical and ecological fragmentation brought by the roadway projects, Charlesgate is subject to myriad state and local authorities, a major reason the area has lied fallow for decades. Cooperation between public actors began when residents banded together to restore Charlesgate, and common ground was uncovered. For example, healthy human mobility is valued by transportation and parks agencies alike. While a transportation agency (with greater investment capacity) can’t spend on so-called parks, they can invest in paths, lighting, rest areas (benches), and storm water landscapes. By designing within the palette of the transportation agency but in consideration of other social and ecological interests, a de-facto park made of paths/lighting/benches/rain-gardens can emerge. 

Sustainability by creatively leveraging highway-era infrastructure maintenance projects 

While the viaducts that encircle Charlesgate have mainly brought disinvestment and neglect to the park, they can also be leveraged as an opportunity. For example, reconstruction of a failing 210 meter long road bridge that separates Charlesgate from the Charles River would typically require a costly temporary bridge to re-route traffic during construction. However, instead of a temporary bridge, this was designed as a second new permanent bridge to elevate another surface road and finally allow a pathway to connect to the river below. Elevation of the surface road also allows for daylighting the mouth of the Muddy River. Here, creative reconsideration of construction staging led to the opportunity to restore a vital habitat corridor and mobility connections along a 3km long urban river.