‹ Adrienne Bockheim


Embracing Winter
in Peavey Park

Transforming a Neighborhood Park into a Winter Wonderland

In Phase 1 of the Metropolitan Design Center’s work with Peavey Park in Minneapolis, we found that a busy park is a safe park – that is, planning community events and activities in a park year-round can alleviate crime in the area. Phase 2 expanded upon this work and explored how the existing park could be programmed in the cold, dark winter months, when most people are tempted to spend their time indoors. I spent several months thinking about how we could encourage the community to activate their public space in the winter.

Research

First I looked to the past – what is the relationship between Minnesotans and the season for which their state is so infamous?  Exploring the history of winter sports and festivals in Minnesota led me to understand that Minnesotans didn’t always appreciate the snow and ice – early winter festivals in the 1880s introduced winter sports and made being outside in winter a fun community celebration.

Then I looked for inspiration around the world – how do the other winter cultures and cities around the world celebrate winter? I was inspired by the beautiful and outrageous celebrations, which embrace and tame the unique qualities of winter to bring people outside for fun and excitement.

This exploration also allowed us to catalogue more possible recreational opportunities for Peavey Park. We discovered many new activities utilizing snow and ice, such as ice trails and toboggan slides (both of which are common in communities in Canada) that would attract people of all ages day or night throughout the winter.

This research allowed us to develop an approach for embracing winter and transforming Peavey Park into a winter wonderland of beauty, fun, and community.

 

Analysis

At a neighborhood workshop we shared our research findings with community leaders and residents. They were excited by the potential for Peavey Park to become a regional winter attraction and the implications this could have for revitalizing the neighborhood. Their feedback on what types of activities they wanted to see in the park gave us an idea of how to move forward with the design.

I mapped the existing winter recreational opportunities in the city and discovered that winter activities at Peavey Park would fill a service gap within the Minneapolis park system. This also gave me a better idea of what recreational types might be needed in the area. Next I conducted case studies and examined standard regulations to determine the spatial requirements for the desired winter activities.

During an afternoon at Peavey Park on a bright sunny January day, I photographed the site, took measurements, and made notes about the site’s opportunities and constraints. With this information, I put together a series of analysis maps exploring the park’s existing structures, programming, vegetation, views, and topography, and then synthesized this information to create an analysis map that I would work off of for the final designs for the park’s winter programming.

Design

Based on our discussion with the neighborhood, we developed two designs for winter programming within the existing layout of the park. The abundant open space within the existing park allowed for many different activities to take place within both designs. Both designs focused on winter beauty, fun, and community celebration.

Lighting, while not specifically designed in the aerial plans, was indicated as a key programming aspect, which would draw visitors during the long dark hours of winter. Many types of lighting could be displayed at Peavey Park, such as holiday lighting shows, artist-designed sculptures and projections, and large bonfires that would also provide warmth and communal gathering.

Space and infrastructure for recreation was well-provided for, including ice skating on ice rinks and ice trails, as well as hockey rinks, sledding on toboggan slides (due to the lack of hills in Peavey Park), and ski trails around the perimeter of the park. Visitors who wish to people watch or take part in the activities without putting on ice skates can walk along the boardwalk trail adjacent to the ice trail – here, bonfires and warming shelters take the edge off the cold and winter wind.

Food and gathering space was introduced to the park, especially on the north entrance near busy Franklin Avenue, with food trucks and booths for an outdoor winter market. Space for a sculpture park along Franklin would also serve to draw visitors into the park. A stage and open space within the center of the park would serve any winter festivals or events the neighborhood might want to hold in the park.

Winter Recreation Programming Design 2

Winter Recreation Programming Design 2

Site analysis

Site analysis

Winter in Minnesota, historic photographs

Winter in Minnesota, historic photographs

Recommendations for Celebrating Winter

Recommendations for Celebrating Winter

Winter Cities around the World

Winter Cities around the World

Winter Festivals Around the World

Winter Festivals Around the World

Winter Programming Options

Winter Programming Options

Spatial Requirements

Spatial Requirements

Analysis of Winter Recreation Opportunities in Public Parks in Minneapolis

Analysis of Winter Recreation Opportunities in Public Parks in Minneapolis

Peavey Park in Winter

Peavey Park in Winter

Existing site elements and infrastructure

Existing site elements and infrastructure

Topography

Topography

Sections

Sections

Winter Recreation Programming Design 1

Winter Recreation Programming Design 1

Design 2, Detail 2

Design 2, Detail 2

Design 2, Detail 1

Design 2, Detail 1