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REVISIONING
PHILLIS
WHEATLEY
PARK
San Antonio, TX
Client: ULI San Antonio in conjunction with The GOODHOOD
The GOODHOOD, a non-profit dedicated to combatting generational poverty on San Antonio’s East Side, wants to revision neighboring Phillis Wheatley Park to provide intergenerational play opportunities and more shade. RELM completed an initial visioning concept defining how the park can be reconceived to address issues of extreme heat, mental health, nature-based play, and, specific to this neighborhood, entrepreneurially focused programming, inviting youth at risk to perform or sell their creations. If implemented, the park will be appointed with amenities not seen in this part of San Antonio.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Opened in 2019 in a park-poor neighborhood, Phillis Wheatley Park is underutilized primarily because it lacks shade and offers no meaningful intergenerational activities tailored for toddlers, teens, and a senior population on an adjacent block.
ARMATURES MATTER
The park has bones but lacks connection. It occupies an island, bounded by busy streets within a residential neighborhood anchored by numerous cultural/community institutions. Our redesign hinges on two key moves. First, establish a central boardwalk, ensuring visitors walk through, not around, the park. Second, reconfigure Arthur and Lamar Streets to form a one-way couplet, allowing the park to more easily connect with adjacent frontages and vital community-serving institutions.
THE PATH TO PLAY AND ACTIVATION
More than a circulation move, the Boardwalk creates an armature for discrete programming opportunities throughout the park.
