Revealing this land making became the driver of the design. The design team led many community meetings to gain consensus on the design, and although many disagreed over park programming, all came together around the notion the park should visually and physically reflect the history of the making of the wharfs.

The park acts as a threshold, welcoming users to and from the city and harbor front. It is a major conduit for pedestrian circulation north and south, east and west, flexible spaces to attract and sustain activities for all ages and all backgrounds. Because of its location at this crucial place in the city, the park strongly connects and knits together the urban fabric and is a memorable destination in its own right.

Mothers?EUR??,,????'?????< Photo: Mark Garfinkel

In the plan, the extent of each of the five wharfs is rendered in native granite, so that the visitor understands the relationship between the current wharf and its historic counterpart. These granite panels constitute five east-west passages from city to harbor, reviving historic movement patterns and offering pedestrians a beautiful and safe walk to the sea. On the west, or city side, is the promenade, a formal tree-lined all????????(C)e that is a metaphor for the city; on the harbor side is an informal meander of groves that is a metaphor for the shoreline. Together, these passages create a powerful sense of orientation in the city.

"The principles of sustainability are embedded into all aspects of the design. The park is 40 percent pervious, a rich green tapestry in place of the 100 percent impervious, former brownfield central artery."

The northern-most park parcel is home to a Children?EUR??,,????'?????<

Within each of these major spaces, a variety of scales and uses can be accommodated: ice skating, temporary art displays, performances, caf????????(C)s and a variety of other daily and specially programmed activities. Each of the individual parcels is unique to its surroundings, but is unified through the use of salvaged seawall stones, light, paving and native plant material. Wharf District Parks is a passage and a destination, knitting together urban fabric torn for half a century.

The dramatic change from the days of the bleak elevated highway (?EUR??,,????'?????< Photo: Mass. Highway

Principles
Copley Wolff Design Group, led by principals Lynn Wolff, John Copley and Sean Sanger, served as the local landscape architect, who worked in collaboration with AECOM, the prime and out-of-town landscape architectural firm and lead designer. AECOM was responsible for the design, construction documents and construction administration for all the hardscape, site improvements, lighting and irrigation. Copley Wolff Design Group architecture firm?EUR??,,????'?????<

The building and backfilling history of the wharfs is engraved on three stones at ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Outreach
The design work included a public outreach program to ensure social equity into the design and included groups as diverse as inner city school children, business groups, environmental activists and residents. There were over 133 public meetings to communicate the vision and design of these parks that have been much anticipated by the residents of Boston for over 20 years. Various state and city officials, the Mayor?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Sustainability
The principles of sustainability are embedded into all aspects of the design. The park is 40 percent pervious, a rich green tapestry in place of the 100 percent impervious, former brownfield central artery. This increase in permeable area allows for rainwater capture and reduction of the heat island effect. The historic granite seawall stones, salvaged from wharf demolition, were handpicked and shaped to create a continuous seatwall on the harbor side walkway, while any new granite was quarried locally. Other sustainable features of the park include LED lamps, a native plant palette featuring waves of shoreline perennials, and site furnishings and light columns that are 90 percent recycled steel.

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Accessibility and Economic Impetus
From a social perspective, the park is completely accessible and offers 19 distinct entry points, affording convenient and safe access for all. From an economic perspective, the park has already engendered activity, although it just opened in 2008. Over 200 residential units are open or under construction next to the park. Many neighboring buildings are readdressing their entries toward the park, where for decades this was the back door or service area. Nearby retail sales have improved, as the park is now a vibrant place for pedestrian activity instead of a grimy roadway.

The Great Room is framed by custom-steel light blades with granite bases designed by Dennis Carmichael of AECOM. The design suggests ship masts or glass surfaces of the nearby office buildings. Light patterns are modified by season, holiday and celebration. Color kinetics did the programmable lighting.

The ultimate value of Wharf District Parks to the profession and Boston residents and visitors lies in the fostered urban regeneration. By reclaiming land for people, instead of cars, in the heart of one of America?EUR??,,????'?????<

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The Team

Architect
William McDonough + Partners, Charlottesville, Va.

Art Programming
Sherry Kafka Wagner, San Antonio

Artist
Ross Miller Studio, Inc., Allston, Mass.

Contractors
-General
John Cashman, Inc., Quincy, Mass.

-Landscape Contractor
Valley Crest Landscape, Brighton, Mass.

Engineering
-Electrical /Drainage
Fay, Spofford & Thorndike, Inc., Boston

-Structural
Lim Consultants, Inc., Cambridge

Fountain Design
WET Design, Sun Valley, Calif.

Graphic Design
Selbert Perkins Design, Arlington, Mass.

Historic Interpretation
American History Workshop, Brooklyn

Landscape Architects
-Lead Designer
AECOM

-Landscape Architect, Local
Copley Wolff Design Group
Principals Lynn Wolff, John Copley, Sean Sanger

Lighting
Schweppe Lighting Design, Concord

Rendering (3D)
Neoscape, Inc., Boston