Visual Aids

First Draft

It's impossible to see in a black and white CAD drawing, but one aspect of my park that I am hoping to make apparent is that water and its uses are out in the open for everyone to see. I hope to accomplish this through the building of wetlands to the south of the tracks along with a recirculating stream with sheet water fountains to cleanse storm water before draining back into the aquifers and being used as irrigation for the garden. In the garden, the irrigation system would also consist of above ground spray fountains that would rise above the plants and create a "rain system" to water the plants.
For precedence I have been looking at the Bill Clinton Library roof and Toronto's Sherbourne Park.

Riverview Park Garden

Riverview Park

Before

After

The Onlys?

Beginning plan

More Analysis

A closer look

Bubble Park 1

After looking over my past research and seeing that KUB had attempted to buy this site in 2009 my design has expanded. At the time the KUB sell fell through the property was priced at $3.3 million, that's a lot of money for a city to spend just to purchase the land for a park. So, my recommendation is that KUB and the city partner in purchasing the site and use it as a water treatment area and park. Much like the water treatment parks in Toronto and Connecticut.
The area south of the rail line could be allotted for an educational/water treatment area. It would be open to the public and could help fill in some of the obvious educational problems this area already faces. The schools are lacking in their environmental education and the local (even all of Knox County) children could really benefit from an area like this.
The area north of the tracks could be used for more traditional park activities such as open fields and a play area. It would also contain the community garden that I still believe would benefit the community since they currently live in a food desert.
I would like the heart of this park to be a community center. This would be a place that all of the educational aspects of the entire site could come together and it could also serve as a gathering place for the community.

General Shale

Choosing a SIte

Parks in 37915

37915

Why 37915?

Environmental Justice Slide

Building a garden

After some exhaustive research I have chosen 23 fruits and vegetables that could provide a year-round garden in East Tennessee. I have also started looking into the amount of space required to contain a garden that could potentially feed 500 people by supplying them with all of their vegetable needs for one year. This number could go through trial and error and various planting methods, but for now, I have decided to allocate 15 acres of my available 39 acres to a community garden. I also plan on making use of shade trees by planting fruit trees and potentially some fruit vines and shrubs as well.

When starting to look at my program this still leaves room for all-purpose fields, a few basket-ball courts, a playground and a community center that could hopefully function on many levels as well. I also would like to look into water management and since the site will be housing a large garden I feel that a wetland buffer would be a good idea along the river. This could double as a quiet fishing pier.

Site Analysis

The design is still to come.

Making a case for a farm

Just 90 years ago this now vacant industrial site was home to a typical East Tennessee family owned farm. Today the site sits unused and wasted while hundreds of its surrounding neighbors live in a virtual food desert.



One thing I believe could truly benefit this community is not only a park, but an Urban Learning Farm.
1 - Community Outreach
2 - Education
3 - Potential Income
4 - Fresh fruits and vegetables

37915 and General Shale

The General Shale Brick factory opened on Riverside Drive in the late 1930s on a former agricultural site. Small mill communities began to build up around the factory and by the 1960s Riverview was a thriving community. The factory seemed to be faring well in the late nineties and its ultimate closure in December of 1999 was a shock to Knoxville as a whole. The factory laid off 65 workers and thus began the downfall of Riverview. While the population continued to grow in 37915, the jobs did not and there is a drastic increase in poverty levels from 2000 when they were 27.1% to 2010 when they jumped to 49.8%.

In December of 2011, the "Economic Review Journal" listed 37915 in Knoxville as one of the "most miserable cities in America."

37915 has the 7th highest unemployment rate for Zip Codes in Tennessee, the 8th highest poverty rate for Zip Codes in Tennessee, and the 4th highest homeowner vacancy rate for Zip Codes in Tennessee.