Town Square: Final Draft Design

Eugene Town Square Final Draft Design presentation, September 12, 2019 (my photo)

The City of Eugene and the design team led by Cameron McCarthy Landscape Architecture & Planning revealed the final draft design for Eugene Town Square at the well-attended “September Shindig” this past Thursday on the downtown Park Blocks. Like the previous project kickoff meeting in May and July’s presentation of three initial design concepts for Eugene Town Square, the event was festive and informative, and very much a community-building fete. 

The final draft design reflects both Cameron McCarthy’s own melding of the best aspects of the initial concepts and the feedback received from citizens in response to them. Such an approach could have yielded a disjointed plan—a rambling amalgam as opposed to a cohesive scheme—but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Instead, the design promises to unify the Park Blocks, the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza, and the new City Hall & Farmers Market Block in a way that is synergistic. The whole will certainly be much more than the sum of its parts. 

Final Draft Design Plan

Some of the key features of the final draft design include: 

• Rightsizing of traffic lanes to slow traffic 
• Retention of the most significant existing trees 
• Addition of new trees to increase the overall quantity of shade and canopy cover to ensure the Town Square has a full, healthy, urban forest for generations (the new trees will be of species able to survive hotter, drier conditions) 
• Use of water-wise plantings to reduce runoff and demand for irrigation 
• Expansion of the Farmers Market area by 250% 
• A pattern of open spaces on the southwest and southeast blocks that works with the current Saturday Market tent layout 
• Retention of most parking and key routes for vehicle access 
• Improved outdoor space for the current neighboring businesses 
• Provisions for future buildings to connect to Town Square 
• More locations for food trucks and carts 
• A permanent covered stage for musical performances on the southeast block 
• A variety of subspaces for gatherings of all sizes 
• The ability to shut down streets to make room for large, special events

A clear goal of the design is to be the premier open space in the heart of downtown, something very much different from all the other parks in Eugene. I like that it will be a focus for so much that is a hallmark of great public squares around the world: well-defined outdoor spaces that are useful, significant, and full of life. The proposed design for Eugene Town Square skillfully employs axes, vistas, water features, trees, generous lawn areas, and a combination of event-oriented and passive spaces. 

You can view the plans and renderings for the final draft concept here. You can also share your thoughts about the design by participating in the latest online survey. 

The City and Cameron McCarthy have continually met with key stakeholders, including representatives from the Saturday Market, Farmers Market, downtown businesses, the arts community, and many others. Hundreds more attended one, two, or all three of the public involvement parties. Thousands have connected with the project through the online surveys and via email and social media. The goals have been to honor all voices by listening, recognizing and valuing a diversity of opinions, and to genuinely respond to ideas, critiques, comments, and praise. 

Farmers Market rendering

Overall, the scope and quality of the Town Square outreach programs and speaking engagements has been impressive. This may be the most encouraging aspect of the project so far. That said, a glance at who the respondents to the first survey were reveals they may not be entirely representative of the breadth of the community. Interestingly, the largest single number reported living in the 97405 area code, and their household income level averaged significantly above the City’s median. Generally, a shortcoming of public involvement processes is underrepresentation of certain constituencies despite truly earnest efforts to ensure inclusivity. 

If the City and Cameron McCarthy adhere to the schedule published at the outset of the public involvement process, we can all look forward to seeing the final design sometime in October. At that time, a written summary report and public hearing will accompany the presentation of the final concept. In addition to further refinement of the concept, the next phase of the project will dive more deeply into public art, materials, furnishings, specific plant types, and signage. Whether funds exist to fully implement the final design will undoubtedly be a matter for discussion by our city leaders.