Georgetown Waterfront Park
Through 60 years of working on trails and greenways across the country, we have found that while every project is different, the goals are often similar. They are a balance between recreation and preservation and must be considered through contextual lenses – population changes, recreational trends, local infrastructure, economic factors, community perspectives, and civic leadership.
A changing climate, trends, and ongoing shifts in quality-of-life choices mean that trails and greenways projects must be flexible and adaptable to unforeseen but not entirely unpredictable future impacts. Human interaction must be effectively and sensitively guided, as these landscapes have the potential to renew our spirit, refresh the mind, and reward us physically.
Inclusion and Engagement
From start to finish, we do the work of reaching out, listening, and responding, ensuring people’s ideas, needs, and desires are effectively addressed. Through partnerships we gain a shared knowledge base that helps unlock funding, leading to successful implementation, and a sense of ownership for all stakeholders.
Our Creative Fitting Process
We adhere to the adaptive process of Creative Fitting to find the balance between the changing needs of users and the environment’s capacity to sustainably incorporate these needs. Our trails and greenways are designed with an attention to specific attributes and local context, including details that are relevant and relatable, not imported or imposed from other places and assignments.
A Legacy of Designing with Nature
One of the fundamental beliefs since our founding in 1963 is that we can learn planning and design principles from natural processes. We believe there are solutions that are intrinsically suitable for each site and impact nature least. This belief originated from a design approach articulated in founding partner Ian McHarg’s seminal book Design with Nature, which influenced a generation of environmental planners, designers, and the public at large, and reflects WRT’s long-standing environmental philosophy.
Related Projects
Integrating trails and greenways as part of a larger open space and community planning framework, provides recreational, transportation, economic, environmental, and health benefits.
