We wrote yesterday about what Tom Lee Park could be…a magnet for recreation and leisure…as opposed to what it is today…forlorn and bleak.   We got an email asking for some ideas of what could be done, and we suggest that anyone interested in possibilities should visit the website of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc, landscape architecture firm that creates environmentally sustainable and experientially rich places across a wide range of landscape scales.

Our favorite project is along the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey.  That said, you can click any of his waterfront projects on this page if you want to see what can be done when an open space on the water is a real park instead of a festival grounds.

Here’s how the firm describes the Hoboken project and it’s enough to give a hint of what can happen when we attract the best and brightest nationally to work with our local best and brightest to get Tom Lee Park fixed:

Pier C Park is located along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway in Hoboken, New Jersey and is part of the city’s ongoing efforts to provide recreational open space at the water’s edge. An active recreation pier designed to accommodate users of all ages, the new park complements neighboring parks in program and form. Pier C represents a new generation of waterfront programming, defined by recreation and public access rather than industrial or maritime uses. The new pier sits within the rectilinear footprint of the long-absent original Pier C, with arcing walkways that capitalize on views to Manhattan as well as the active uses of the pier.

The sculptural quality of the landscape simulates the forms of a barrier beach while the interior breaks open to reveal the play landscape—a whimsical, other-scaled world designed to engage children of all ages and abilities. The playground is separated into a pre-school play area and a school-age play area including structures for climbing and hiding, slides, sand play, water play, climbable slopes, rockers and spinners. A continuous tricycle path loops through the interior of the play area and a park building is situated such that an employee can easily dispense toys to children.

The Promenade, at the eastern edge of the pier, provides recreational opportunities for adults and families. In addition to the introduction of lawn areas for sunbathing and casual games, there is ample seating located along the water’s edge. The park encourages users to experience waterfront wildlife opportunities, including the use of a planting scheme that strongly favors coastal species and the construction of a roosting structure for nesting osprey.