Creating a Park That Might Actually Deliver on Its Promises — Here’s Why

Future Here Now ✨

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I’ll admit it: I’m often a cynic about the “magical powers” we claim urban design will have. I’ve watched cities put millions into shiny streetscapes, parks, waterfronts and plazas — all with the promise that new businesses, new residents, new prosperity would follow.

Too often? The promised transformation never materializes.
Or worse — the investment does come… but so do the unintended consequences that displace the long-time residents who were supposed to benefit.

And we keep repeating the same mistakes, one city after the next.

🌟 Why this D.C. project gave me cautious optimism

The 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington, D.C. has a jaw-dropping budget — nearly $100 million. But unlike the typical build it and hope for the best approach, this project’s developers are actively trying to anticipate and mitigate the harm that community-changing amenities can cause.

Building Bridges Across the River, led by Scott Kratz, is taking a fundamentally different approach — one that tries to ensure the new park helps the historically marginalized neighborhoods of Anacostia, Fairlawn, and Barry Farm instead of pricing them out.

From environmental education centers and river-access programs…
To native plantings and local art…
To deliberately creating opportunities for Black-owned businesses…
To supporting homeownership, community land trusts, and micro-grants for local entrepreneurs…

The team has built a wide-ranging, ecosystem-style effort that started years before the bridge design was even finalized.

This isn't “lipstick on a pig” urban design.
This is a coordinated, multi-organization, community-informed attempt to actually manage change — not just spark it.

🧩 Why this feels like a quantum leap

A few standout differences:

🔹 1. It’s ecosystem-driven, not silo-driven.

Multiple organizations, each with different strengths, working together.
Not designers saying “not my problem” the minute issues fall outside engineering or landscaping.

🔹 2. Community members — including lower-income neighbors — shaped the design.

People who live the impacts every day see interconnected effects that technical experts often miss.

🔹 3. The work started long before construction.

Instead of expecting meaningful public feedback from a single meeting and a deck of PowerPoints, organizers created years of space for the community to understand, react, and help shape the opportunity.

🔹 4. Real, detailed, on-the-ground support.

Homebuyers clubs. Land trusts. Grants. Technical assistance for local entrepreneurs.
Not perfect — but far, far better than the usual surface-level efforts.

👀 Imperfect? Sure.

But it’s also the kind of approach we desperately need cities and project sponsors to study, understand and adapt. As I wrote in The Local Economy Revolution Has Arrived, every project has unintended consequences — and pretending otherwise is how we get into trouble.

This project doesn’t ignore that reality.
It tries to plan for it.

I hope someone does an in-depth case study someday — arguments, conflicts, rough spots and all. Because there’s a model here worth learning from, even if it isn’t flawless.

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