programmatic potential A quick scan of Washington Square Park during any day will reveal that the park is underutilized, when considering its full potential. The park’s nature has changed from when it was first designed, and is no longer relevant to its surrounding context. Our argument is that the original purpose and form of the park did not hold, due to changes in land-use and functions of the surrounding area. The park surroundings have dramatically changed in use and function, yet the park has not been updated to remain relevant and useful. For instance, our studies show that the path’s circulation is not articulated well, and no longer useful for the typical day user. When considering the unique attractions like Union Station and Crown Center and the Liberty Memorial, as well as the incoming streetcar, Washington Square Park has great potential to become a place of activity for the entire area. Through several studies we investigated the park in depth to find what aspects of the park are lacking and what is inherently good about the site. Using a detailed site map of existing conditions, space studies, and a city-wide park amenity analysis we found that the park offers few amenities and there are few programmed areas for the potential daily user. Demographic and land use studies show that the daily influx of employee population greatly
exceeds the residential population. This suggests that the amount of people greatly decreases at the end of the working day. In addition, through night lighting, tree placement, and canopy analysis, we learned that the park is actually fairly well lit at night, but there are less “eyes on the park” overall. As a result of these two factors, there is a greater perception of danger in the evening and less use overall. Despite the outdated organization and the perceived danger at night, the park does have some inherent qualities that can complement the viewshed to the North. A series of shading and sun studies combined with view and wind studies produced optimal zones within the park that suggest the park can be programmed as a seasonal park. These seasonal qualities make the park unique and the optimal zone studies suggest where and what the programmed areas should be. The park is also used for various festivals, parades, and races. An analysis of the layout of such occasions illustrates that the park can benefit from a structure that could serve a variety of events. This can also take into account the activities of Union Station and Crown Center, which are among the top visitor attractions of Kansas City. From an analysis of the surrounding land values, we found that the location is prime real-estate, as Crown Center and Union Station have some of the highest monetary
values in the vicinity. This led to the conclusion that Washington Square Park has the potential to add value to the neighborhood with the re-design of the park. Most importantly is the park’s potential to be used as a catalyst, and can be the “epicenter and focal point for that whole area.” Developing a program and adding amenities to the park will turn the park into a unique public civic space and make the area around Washington Square Park a destination node, finishing the transformation of the park into an Anchor Park.
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