To: Bjørn Sletto, Principal Brush Square Planner, Equitable Planning Firm From: Samantha Bernacki, Public Space Site Analyst Date: March 7, 2021 Re: Brush Square Reimagination, First Site Visit Impressions
Our firm is in the process of reimagining Brush Square in Downtown Austin. On Sunday March 7, 2021 I made a site visit at 409 East 5th Street. I observed the space from 1 pm until 2:30 pm, and the surrounding area from 2:30 pm until 5:00 pm. While on site, I noted physical features and uses of the space. The space in the current state is overlooked and uninviting. The purpose of this memo is to describe the existing conditions of Brush Square and to suggest design and programing interventions.
Brush Square Description The boundaries of the Brush Square study area are highlight in Map 1 below along with the key physical features. The boundaries of my study area include the grassed area of the square, an extended concrete sidewalk outside of the Convention Center, as well as a portion of a bike lane that runs along East Fourth Street.
Map 1. Brush Square Study Area
The physical features of the park are not extensive. The space is mostly open grass. There is a large tree along the Neches Street side of the square. The tree is large enough to shade a portion of the park, displayed in Image 1. Across East 4th Street there are string lights and smaller trees lining the sidewalk (Image 2). A portion of the road is blocked from auto traffic (Image 3). There are a few scattered waste bins with dog waste stations, giving the impression the space is intended for relieving dogs. There were dead leaves piled along the edges of sidewalk.
The social uses were minimal. Brush Square is currently a transient space. There are potential users that passed by. This is a result of the relative location of Brush Square to Downtown Austin. There are three hotels, two museums, the Austin Convention Center, the downtown Capital Metro station, and an active bike lane surrounding the park. Additionally, the space is a walkable distance from popular downtown activities. The park is used for South-by-South West events when space is used for service tents and port-a-potties.
Methods During the site visit, a fellow employee and I sat on a towel under the large tree and observed. We faced the Austin Convention Center much of the time because that is where the action seemed to occur. I used a notepad, and a cellphone to take pictures and keep time. The observations took place on a Sunday afternoon with mild weather.
Physical Configuration The square is in the southeast section of downtown. At the last stop of the Capital Metro, Brush Square is well connected in a central location. The metro stop is one gateway that leads to Brush Square, but it is not adequately connected to the grassed area. Trinity Street also serves as an unconnected gateway to Brush Square. The hinterland surrounding the square is full of dense urban social and multiuse places.
There is good visual access to the space. Construction fencing lines the backside of the grassed area, however that is the only barrier between the space and surrounding area. The tall buildings create lack of visual access from a distance. There are many people that overcome this as they walk past the park.
I counted 46 people passing by the space in a 10-minute period between 1:02 pm and 1:12 pm. Of these interactions the majority were bikers using the bike lane. They did not look in the direction of the park. There were also hotel users, police officers, people experiencing homelessness, as well as leisure and dog walkers.
There are no pathways through the grassed area of the park. This is one of the most critical things that the park is lacking. There are traces in the grass that reveal people do walk through. Only four people passed through the grassed area of the park during my observation, all experiencing homelessness. One young man, Kaleb “spelled with a K”, stopped to ask why I was sitting “with the dog sh*t” and invited me to camp where it was cleaner.
Animation
The animation of Brush Square is incomplete. The degree to which the square is designed to support the population is lacking. There is little design at all at Brush Square, it is mostly open space. This leaves room for creative design for the future of Brush Square. The potential for Brush Square is wide ranged. The opportunity to design a space to meet the animation of the public is exciting.
The space is prime for passive engagement due to the bike path and popularity of the streets surrounding the square. Under normal circumstances there are individuals passing through, getting off the train, attending events, and spending time at the hotels.
The uses around the space leave room for discovery. There are most likely users that live in the area and are familiar with the space. There are also users who are from other places that may experience the space as new and exciting. The open space at Brush Square leaves room for discovery and display. A person is free to make the space whatever they please, within the constraints of social norms.
Active engagement can be understood by the activities of the space users. Most users I observed were on bikes, either in a group or alone. Brush square was never used as a resting point by bikers. The people on foot mostly came from the Marriot Hotel. They were typically in groups. The largest group I saw pass the park got on Lime Scooters outside of the hotel. Interactions in the space happened between people who arrived together. No one set a meeting place at the park, no one met anyone new at the park; aside from me meeting Kaleb.
Diversity The diversity of the space is complicated. There are security cameras that cover most of the square, this may feel uncomfortable to certain groups. In its current state, the space does not seem to be very exclusive. The space does not seem to be valued by any one group more than others. The buildings that surround the square are used by visitors. This may lead to a space that is exclusively used by non-Austin residents. Additionally, due to the central location this space has potential to become exclusively used by socio-economically privileged communities.
Design and Programming Intervention I suggest extending the space through the parking lot that is in the middle of the park and to create a sustainable sourced pathway diagonally through the park. This is intended to redirect the transient users. Lawn seating would increase time spent at the square. Nooks with table-andchair seating may also be helpful in promoting usership. To encourage programming at the square, a paved corner with space for a truck would be useful. This could be used for food trucks, blood donation trucks, COVID-19 truck shot distribution, and donation distribution. The
goal of these designs is to make Brush Square an inclusive meeting place people can visit with or without purpose (Map 2). Publicly designed art can be retrofitted to the redesigned space through a community-engagement process. All park adjustment suggestions should be reimagined further by community members.
Map 2. Design Intervention for Brush Square
Image 2. Large tree in Brush Square from two viewpoints
Image 3. 4th Street along Brush Square
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