At this park in Boston’s South End neighborhood, we worked with the City, Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion (IBA – Puerto Rican Tenants in Action), Friends of O’Day playground, and the larger community to redesign this heavily used and much loved park. The park is home to the Tito Puente music series, supports a diverse community, and is located in a Massachusetts-designated environmental justice area meeting the criteria for minority (66% of population), income (19% of MA MHHI), and English isolation (46% language isolation).

Our design expands on what had previously been a tot lot to create a multigenerational park. It improves circulation and connectivity between the disparate pieces of the park and strengthens the connection to a new IBA Community Center. Upgrades to paving, lighting, fencing, and furnishings improve accessibility across the site and elevate the connective spaces that stitch the play courts, playground, and green space together into a more cohesive whole. In a collaborative process that included both public meetings and soliciting feedback through a web-based survey, we prioritized how to apply the limited budget to focus on the community’s priorities.