The improvements at Tecolote Shores represent a rebirth of play, fitness, and community building in Mission Bay, San Diego, California. The project connects two playgrounds along the Mission Bay Bike Path that serves millions of visitors annually. The improvements at Tecolote Shores include two vibrant playscapes that feature an array of play and fitness opportunities crafted with accessibility in mind. Located only 600 feet from one another, the North and South Playgrounds manage the careful balance of complementing one another while remaining unique and independently engaging. With equally vibrant colors and playful forms, each playground's design theme responds to the character of the surrounding Mission Bay Park. Forms of box and diamond kites are prominently featured within the North while wave and cove-like mounds and outlooks crest throughout the South. Each playground responds to a unique recreational need: the North Playground provides an "all ages" approach that pairs children's play with outdoor fitness, while the South Playground utilizes universal design strategies to offer an unparalleled inclusive experience.

These playgrounds are the result of successful collaboration between the city, community, and design team, led by San Diego-based Landscape Architect Schmidt Design Group. Their efforts established a vision for Tecolote Shores to be 'everyone's park,' welcoming visitors of all abilities to explore and play. The project catapults park accessibility with a range of new features, providing a total 4.5 acres of revived play space, two restroom buildings, picnic pavilions, and security lighting for each site as well as ADA improvements for over half a mile of accessible walkways.

North Playground Inspiration

 
The North Playground, themed after the popularity of its adjacent grassy lawn as a regional kite flying destination, features colorful towers and shade structures that evoke the shapes of iconic box and diamond kites. Billowing, breeze-like forms weave throughout the site to create a dynamic sense of movement. Taking an "all ages" approach to recreation, the North Playground provides complementary play spaces aimed at 2-5 and 5-12 age groups and pairs the children's play area with a 6,000-square-foot outdoor fitness area that includes an obstacle course, a series of ellipticals facing the water, and the city's first dedicated slackline zone.

South Playground Inspiration
The South Playground, inspired by the coves and inlets of Tecolote Creek and Mission Bay, features a central play island surrounded by play coves. Designed to be one of the most accessible playgrounds in the City of San Diego, the South Playground is truly unique in its approach to inclusive play. The feature element is a raised play mound at the center of the park that provides accessible pathways to the highest points of each play structure, allowing children of all abilities and supervising caregivers alike to accompany their friends and children to the tallest points of each play structure. The play towers and bridges offer numerous recreational opportunities, whether visitors choose to climb up to the top lookout or explore the colorful, ground-level features.

Universal Design
At the South Playground, the team utilized universal design strategies to create a space that takes into consideration a wide array of needs, including mobility, sensory, and neurocognitive disabilities. This is done while integrating opportunities into the site that allow children of all abilities to learn, grow, and play alongside one another in an inclusive environment. In addition to accessible equipment, such as a carousel, rockers, swings, towers, a sand table, and a zipline, the site includes more subtle considerations that allow children to find their "just right" fit in the play space. These elements include specially designed play features to accommodate mobility limitations, cozy quiet places for sensory sensitivities, and tactile and audible panels and features for visual or auditory communication. Additionally, the restroom building was customized to include a child-height accessible restroom, sink, and drinking fountain. The team also worked closely with the city's Therapeutic Department to develop a series of graphic communication panels for non-verbal visitors, with plans to integrate them into all future city parks. The goal of these efforts is to redefine what is considered "standard" for accessibility within their park system. Jennifer Montgomery, Principal with Schmidt Design Group, reflects that shortly after the park was open, they were honored when a community member stopped by to share his joy in discovering the Tecolote Shores South Playground. He noted how it allowed his grandson, who was born with cognitive and physical disabilities, to not only find accessible elements to enjoy, but also play alongside his able-bodied sister throughout the playground as they enjoyed climbing, swinging, carouseling, and especially ziplining together.

Design Considerations
Prior to the renovation, the existing playgrounds, restrooms, parking, and walkways located on the east side of Mission Bay were degraded, underused, and out of compliance with accessibility standards. Bringing these sites to life required careful consideration of the environmental context due to their adjacency to the bay and Pacific Ocean. The team and city studied several master plan design options before settling on a design that strategically fit the new playground amenities and parking into the existing footprint to minimize impacts and site grading. This solution includes stormwater management that captures and treats runoff without expanding the playground's footprint or sacrificing useable play space. A large, 12-to-17-inch-thick gravel storage layer beneath the playground protected by a permeable concrete layer provides a low-cost and low-maintenance alternative to expensive underground cisterns.
The playground construction timeline was phased over time, with the North Playground opening almost one year before the South Playground. There was curiosity from the design team as to whether the South Playground would decrease user traffic at the North, representing a set number of users spread across two playgrounds. Montgomery shares that, "instead, the city and design team's hopes were exceeded. Both playgrounds remain immensely popular." Each responds to a unique need in the community and expands the overall useability of the Mission Bay park system.

Schmidt Design Group provides comprehensive landscape architecture and planning services, with an emphasis on balancing artistic expression in design with environmental sensitivity. Their team has designed over 200 public parks of various sizes and brings a focus on providing equitable access to parks for all. JT Barr, President of Schmidt Design Group, shares that "'Positive Change by Design' is the driving force of our practice. Seeing how the community has embraced Tecolote North and South Playgrounds is the embodiment of that mission becoming a reality."