Introduction In Fall 2009, Mayor John Tonello invited a team of DesignConnect students from Cornell to Elmira to take a new look Mark Twain Riverfront Park. Located adjacent to the beautiful Chemung River, the Mark Twain Riverfront Park occupies a unique spot in the middle of downtown Elmira and next to the river. Over the years, the Mark Twain Riverfront park has fallen into disrepair. Though its location is prominent in downtown Elmira, it is under utilized by residents. This disinvestment corresponds directly to the downtown disinvestment experienced in Elmira over the past half-century. Despite many physical and economic constraints, there is a great deal of community interest in the revitalization of this park.
Elmira, NY
Mark Twain Riverfront Park
Together with the City of Elmira, the DesignConnect team began a year long visioning process. This process incorporated research of the site and city, community participation and schematic design. This document is a summary of results from research, community participation and final visioning activities/ efforts. Top: Map of New York State. Bottom: Map of downtown Elmira. (Reference: maps.google.com)
Mark Twain Riverfront Park Revitalization
View of Chemung River looking south west from the eastern end of Mark Twain Riverfront Park.
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